


The Kept Boy

by TazzyJan



Series: The Kept Series [1]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BDSM, BDSM Newbie, Caning, Dom/sub, Face Slapping, Gags, Heavy BDSM, Humiliation, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Rape Roleplay, Spanking, Watersports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:01:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 41,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7726126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TazzyJan/pseuds/TazzyJan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Athos and Aramis are lovers.  Athos has a fantasy he's always wanted to try that just keeps getting stronger.  Aramis agrees to give it a go.  It leads to quite the path of discovery for both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Snow_Glory](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snow_Glory/gifts).



> This work is complete but I will be posting it in chapters over the next several days.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Athos asked again. The last thing he wanted to do was push Aramis into something he didn’t want and Athos could not see how he could possibly want this. It was everything Aramis said he found uncomfortable about other people’s perception of them. 

“I know I want to try,” Aramis told him. “You want this. I want to try to give it to you. Let me.”

“Alright,” Athos said, swallowing against the sudden lump in his throat. Aramis was right, he did want this. The thought of it sent a decadent thrill through him but he would not do it at Aramis’ expense. No fantasy was worth his lover’s peace of mind. 

“Okay then,” Aramis said exhaling heavily. “This is your fantasy. How exactly do you want this to work?”

Athos looked the other man up and down, taking in the slight flush staining his cheeks as well as the way he ducked his head, as if trying to hide. It was rather telling, considering Aramis had never tried to hide from anything.

“You are my boy,” Athos explained, outlining the fantasy he had been unable to get out of his head. “To indulge and pamper and show off as I see fit. I am your benefactor. I provide your complete financial support. In exchange, you… please me as I see fit.”

Aramis licked his lips as he stared at Athos. He could feel his heart racing at the lurid picture he had described. “What else?” he asked, his voice thick with an emotion he did not want to name. Not yet.

Athos quirked an eyebrow at him, surprised by the strength of his reaction. He had expected disgust, even fear, but not this, not… lust. “At all times, you will address me as Mr. de la Fere or Sir. If you call me Athos during the scene you will be punished. If you do so in public, it will be harsh.”

“How harsh?” Aramis asked, feeling his face heat at the very thought.

Athos shrugged dismissively, curious as to the effect his seeming lack of care might have on Aramis. “A slap across the face, perhaps,” he offered.

Aramis sucked in a breath at the words. He felt his cock harden in his jeans as a wave of mortification swept through him. It was not that he wanted to be struck. He had no desire for pain. It was the abject humiliation of being so utterly under the subjugation of another and there being nothing he could do about it.

“You don’t seem opposed to the idea,” Athos mused.

“Surprisingly no,” Aramis chuckled.

“If at any time you need to stop the scene, even just to take a break, say ‘Musketeer’.”

“Seriously?” Musketeer is our safe word?” Aramis laughed.

“Can you think of a better one?” Athos grinned. “All for one, after all.”

“And one for all,” Aramis replied nodding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Athos briefly considered playing out their scene there at the penthouse but quickly discarded the notion. They often conducted their work from there and he didn’t want to make Aramis uncomfortable, now or in the future. Instead, Athos had rented the presidential suite at the most pretentious hotel in the city. He had also made dinner reservations at an obnoxiously expensive restaurant. When he took Aramis out shopping, their first stop would be at the tailor to get him measured for a suit. He wanted to make sure everyone there knew exactly how lucky he was to have a catch like Aramis on his arm, even if he was acting as if he paid him to be there.

Walking up behind him, Athos wrapped his arms around Aramis’ waist and kissed him on the neck as he threw the last of his things into an overnight bag. “I have a car waiting outside,” he told him. “As soon as we get in it, the scene begins.”

“Alright,” Aramis replied, tamping down on his sudden bout of nerves.

“Do you remember your safe word?”

“Musketeer,” Aramis repeated dutifully.

“Good,” Athos said. He turned Aramis around and kissed him softly. “I love you. Once the scene starts, I won’t say that again.”

“Oh,” Aramis said, taken by surprise though he realized he probably should not be. He was not Athos’ lover in this, but his boy, his bought and paid for _whore_.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Aramis said. “And I love you, too.”

“I can’t guarantee I won’t make you say that to me, you know,” Athos said as he took Aramis’ hand and walked him toward the door.

“You would make your kept boy tell you he loves you?” Aramis asked, a tendril of shame running through him at the thought of it.

“Perhaps.”

When they got outside, Athos’ usual car was nowhere to be seen. In its place sat a sleek, black sports car. “Tell me you did not buy this,” Aramis said.

“It’s a rental,” Athos assured him. “Now get in.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis replied cheekily as he tossed their bag into the backseat and slid into the passenger side of the car.

They went to the tailor first to get Aramis’ suit. Aramis quailed at all the designer suits on display, designer suits that he knew were well beyond his means. He often wore suits as Athos’ PA but nothing like the ones here. He looked at Athos, a bit panicked and took in the smug look on his face and knew he had no choice unless he planned on using his safe word. 

“Is there a problem?” Athos asked coolly.

“No, Sir,” Aramis replied softly, his face coloring at having to address Athos in such a manner in public.

“Ah, Mr. de la Fere, how may I help you today?” a man said as he came over and shook hands with Athos. He was clearly the proprietor of the shop and was quite familiar with Athos.

“I need to get a suit for my boy,” Athos said gesturing toward Aramis. “We have dinner reservations for seven.”

“Of course,” the man said, eyeing Aramis speculatively. “Did you have something in particular in mind?”

“Whatever you think would look best on him,” Athos said. “I trust your judgment. I do want to accentuate his physique, though.”

“Yes, he is quite well-built. I believe I have just the thing. Do you prefer blue or grey?”

“Grey,” Athos said, “with a black shirt.”

“Excellent choice, sir. I will just need to take his measurements and I can have the suit ready for you in a few hours. Would you care to accompany him to the dressing room?”

“I’m sure he can manage to undress himself,” Athos laughed. 

By the time they left the shop, Aramis thought his blush might actually have become permanent. Athos had taken a front row seat to his measuring, offering comments here and there while the tailor took every conceivable measurement. Aramis had made the mistake of catching Athos’ eyes once and the proprietary lust he saw there had been enough to have him quickly looking away.

Their next stop was a jewelry store. Aramis shuddered to think what Athos might want to buy him in here. He only hoped it was not as horrifically expensive as the suit had been. When they had discussed this, Aramis had not realized that Athos intended to actually go out and spend ungodly amounts of money on him. Now that they were here, however, he did not want to spoil his lover’s obvious fun. 

In the end, Athos had ended up buying his boy a very stylish, and very expensive, watch. He had even gone so far as to have it engraved on the back. It read simply “From Sir”. Aramis had turned so red he had felt hid all the way down his chest. The thing that threw Aramis the most, however, was that even with all the blood rushing to his face, there was still more than enough to harden his cock. 

After the jewelry store, Athos took him to a very posh spa with a very select clientele. Aramis was surprised yet again by the fact that the people here seemed to know Athos. In all their time together, he had never known Athos to flaunt his wealth. Then again, he had not paid much attention to such things, thinking them none of his business. He was regretting that now.

“Mr. de la Fere, how nice to see you again,” a very elegant woman greeted Athos when they entered. 

“Thank you, Giselle. It’s a pleasure to see you again as well.”

“Lauren told me you had made an appointment for today. I did not realize it was for two.”

“It isn’t,” Athos said coolly. “The appointment is for my boy here. We have a dinner reservation and I want him at his best for it.”

“Of course,” she said without missing a beat, as if rich men came in every day with their whores to have them made presentable. “Will you be dropping him off or would you prefer to oversee the proceedings?”

Athos felt Aramis stiffen next to him at the mention of being dropped off here like a dog at the groomers. He considered it for a brief moment, but thought that might be too much for the other man. Besides which, he really did want to watch. 

“I think I’ll stay this time,” he said. 

Before Aramis knew what was happening he found himself being led into the back with Athos following behind. He felt a sudden surge of nerves when Athos moved out of his sight, but the sound of his voice behind him soon calmed him once more.

“Take off your clothes and wrap this around you,” a woman said as she handed him a towel. “When you come back out, we’ll start on your facial.”

“I need to take my clothes off for a facial?” he asked without thinking.

“Please excuse him, Sarah. He’s rather new,” Athos said from the chair where he lounged a few feet away before turning to Aramis. “Yes, boy, you do. And if you talk back again, you won’t even be allowed the towel.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said at once, blushing furiously. He took the towel from the smirking woman and moved behind the changing screen she had indicated. The sound of her and Athos’ amused laughter only made his humiliation skyrocket and he knew there was no way he would be able to hide his erection. Not in just a towel. 

When he emerged from behind the screen, he found Athos and Sarah waiting for him. Athos eyed him up and down, letting his gaze linger on the prominent bulge that the skimpy towel did nothing to hide. His cheeks flamed anew when he noticed the woman doing the same thing and he quickly crossed over to the table to try to cover himself.

“Someone’s eager,” Sarah chuckled as she came toward him. “Hop on up then and let’s get started.”

With a last beseeching look at Athos, Aramis did as instructed. He sat down on the table then stretched himself out on it on his back. He knew the position only made his state of arousal more obvious but there was nothing he could do about it. Or rather, there was nothing he was willing to do about it. He could, of course, call a halt to things at any time, he simply did not want to.

As the facial progressed, Aramis was relieved to find his arousal waning. The more he relaxed into the process, the more he actually began to enjoy it. He could easily understand why people did this, it was quite restorative. 

Athos watched as Aramis’ embarrassment began to fade. He let it go for the time being, wanting to give him a bit of a break. After all, he didn’t want the man’s blush to become permanent. Once Aramis began to truly relax, however, he knew it was time to up the ante again. 

“About done?” Athos asked Sarah, grinning at her.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” she said. 

“Excellent. Can you have Stephanie and Jennifer come in? I’d like him to have a massage.”

“Of course,” Sarah replied, grinning widely. She enjoyed torturing the pretty boys and this one had been fun. She knew Stephanie and Jennifer were going to enjoy themselves, too.

“You may want to turn over,” Athos said when Sarah went to get the two masseuses. “Unless you want them to start on your front.”

It took a moment for Athos’ words to penetrate. When they did, Aramis’ eyes flew open and he gasped. He turned over on the table as quickly as he could, not putting it past Athos to force him to stay on his back if they entered with him still lying that way.

“Good boy,” Athos murmured. 

“Th-thank you, Sir,” Aramis stammered slightly, his face once more heating. He had never said that before, never thanked Athos for telling him ‘good boy’ before. It felt like another step to him. He only wished he could tell if Athos felt the same. Unable to see his face to gauge his reaction, Aramis simply had no way to know.

Before Athos could form a coherent reply, the two women entered the room. They nodded at Athos and moved over to the table, one on either side of it. Without so much as a word, one of them took the towel that was wrapped around Aramis hips and whisked it away, leaving him naked before them.

Aramis sucked in a startled gasp as he was suddenly bared to everyone in the room. He felt his face flame even as he buried it in the crook of his arm. At the same time, he felt his cock harden painfully quickly, so much so he had to wonder how he had enough blood in his body to supply both the furious blush coloring his face and neck as well as make his cock hard enough to drill through the very table he was laid out on.

“Is this an external only massage, Mr. de la Fere, or did you want us to do an internal one as well?” Stephanie asked as she poured some oil onto her hands and began to rub them together to warm it.

Athos did a double take for a moment, caught off-guard by the question. He had forgotten about some of the “extra” services this particular spa offered its more high-end clients. While the thought had merit, there was no way he was letting anyone put their fingers inside of Aramis other than him. 

“External will suffice for today,” he said, affecting his most bored voice. He had heard Aramis’ strangled moan at her words and knew he was pushing it.

“Yes, Sir,” she replied. 

Without warning, two pairs of oiled hands suddenly descended on Aramis’ back and he had to actually bite down on his own arm to keep from groaning aloud at the sensation. His cock ached as he steadfastly refused to move, to let any of them know how badly he was being affected by all of this. He doubted if he was fooling anyone, least of all Athos, but he would hold onto whatever shred of dignity he had left. 

Athos let them go, watching Aramis closely as the two women massaged him. They started at his back and worked their way down. When they got to his buttocks, Athos saw him tense up and frowned. When he heard Aramis gasp again then let out a low moan, he knew it was time to call a halt to it.

“I believe that’s quite enough,” he said as he stood up from his chair. “Thank you, ladies.”

“Are you sure?” Jennifer asked, her hands still resting on Aramis’ backside.

“Quite,” Athos said pointedly, his eyes flicking down to where her hands rested. 

Getting the point, the pair quickly thanked him and left the room. Once the door was closed behind them, Athos took the time to flip the flimsy lock then walked over to the table where Aramis still lay. His boy had not moved at all. He still lay on his stomach, his face buried in the crook of his arm, hidden from Athos’ view. From what little bit he could see, he could tell that he was blushing hotly and he gave him a moment to calm down before resting his hand on the back of his neck.

Aramis couldn’t help but jerk at the unexpected feel of Athos’ hand on him. He had not even realized he had come close. He had heard him tell the two women to leave but that was all. Even knowing it was just Athos touching him did not lessen the hot shame that ran through him at the way he had acted. If anything, it only made it worse.

“Boy?” Athos said softly, growing slightly concerned. “Aramis?”

“Yes, Sir?” Aramis answered dutifully, though he did not raise his face from where it lay hidden.

“Are you alright?” Athos asked him bluntly. He knew Aramis had said he would call a halt to things if they went too far, but Athos understood that, sometimes, that simply was not possible. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, a person didn’t always realize things were going too far until it was too late. 

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis replied, a bit more strongly. He had not missed the worry in Athos’ voice. 

“I would have an easier time believing that if you would look at me,” Athos said gently. 

Taking a breath, Aramis raised his head and looked at his lover. “I am alright,” he said again. “I am… overwhelmed… a bit. And ashamed of how I behaved.”

“You did nothing wrong.”

“I acted like a slut,” Aramis said dispassionately.

“You acted, boy, like a man with functioning anatomy,” Athos told him. “You acted, boy, exactly the way I wanted you to. Are you going to lie there and tell me there is something wrong with that?”

Aramis closed his eyes for a moment, letting Athos’ words wash over him. “No, Sir,” he said when he opened them. “Thank you for correcting me.”

The rest of the day was spent walking about the downtown mall. Athos’ hand was never far from Aramis’ back or arm, making it clear to all and sundry just who Aramis belonged to. By the time it was time to pick up Aramis’ suit, Athos had made several more purchases for the younger man, arranging for them to be delivered to their hotel room so they would not have to cart them around. 

Once the suit had been tried on and modeled to Athos’ satisfaction, they decided to head to the hotel so they could clean up and change before dinner. Athos also wanted to give Aramis a few minutes to collect himself. He had done remarkably well so far and Athos was proud of him. 

Aramis was quiet on the trip back to the hotel. In truth, he was glad for the short reprieve. He needed a few minutes to think. While today had been difficult, he had to admit that it had been eye opening as well. He had expected for it to be, while not a trial, still something he endured for Athos’ sake. He had not expected to enjoy it. He had not expected to become aroused by the game they were playing. But he had and he continued to be and he knew Athos was as well. 

As they turned the car over to the valet and headed into the hotel, Aramis realized something else. Athos, for all that he had thrown himself into the game, was still holding back. He could see it in the way he would stop and check himself before doing certain things, as if afraid that he might push too far. Wasn’t that what they had a safe word for?

“We have about an hour before we need to get ready for dinner,” Athos said once they were inside their suite. 

Aramis nodded and hung his suit up in the closet. He turned back to his lover and took a deep breath. “Musketeer,” he said softly.

Athos’ eyes widened when he heard Aramis use their safe word. He closed the distance between them immediately and grasped his arms. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern coloring his words.

“Nothing,” Aramis said at once. “I just needed to speak with you for a moment and I needed to do it outside of the scene.”

Athos looked him in the eyes for long seconds then nodded. He relaxed but only marginally so, worried about whatever it was that Aramis felt the need to talk to him about that could not wait. “Okay,” he finally managed. “What is it?”

“Stop holding back,” Aramis told him. 

“What?”

“Stop holding back,” he repeated. “You are afraid you are going to push too far or ask for too much. Stop holding back. We have a safe word for a reason. Please trust me to use it.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” Athos asked him.

“Yes,” Aramis replied.

“Then are you ready to resume the scene?” Athos asked.

“Yes, Mr. de la Fere,” Aramis smiled softly.

“Then I think my boy needs to make it up to me for scaring me like that,” Athos said. 

“How may I do that, Sir?”

“Fix me a drink then run me a bath,” Athos ordered. He watched Aramis suck in a breath then quickly move to obey. Kicking off his shoes, he sat back on the king-sized bed and watched the other man closely, taking in the all the little signs that showed that Aramis was just as affected by their game as he was, if in a slightly different manner. 

When Aramis brought Athos his drink, Athos grabbed him by the hand. He didn’t pull him down, just held onto his hand, keeping him there. He watched Aramis’ eyes dilate at the blatant control and made a note to discuss it with the man once things were back to normal. For now, he would simply relish in the fact that Aramis was clearly getting something out of this, too.

“Sir?” Aramis asked after a moment. “Did you want something else?”

“Yes,” Athos said. “I want you to stay right here.”

“I thought you wanted me to run you a bath.”

“Are you questioning me, boy?” Athos asked, letting an edge creep into his voice.

“No, Sir,” Aramis said at once. He immediately ducked his head but he could not stop his breath from quickening.

“No, you know better than that, don’t you?” Athos taunted.

“Yes, Mr. de la Fere,” Aramis said as submissively as he could. 

“You’d better go run my bath after all,” Athos chuckled. “Or we’ll never make our dinner reservation.”

Aramis nearly stumbled in his haste to get to the bathroom and begin running Athos’ bath. It wasn’t that so much as getting a moment of privacy that he was eager for. As soon as he was away from Athos’ watchful eyes, he reached down and squeezed himself ruthlessly, trying to quell his aching erection. This was supposed to be for Athos. He was not supposed to be about to come in his pants from being treated like the man’s glorified whore.

Athos had the presence of mind to back off a bit so they could actually get ready for dinner. He really did want to take Aramis out in his new suit and show him off. He knew it would make the man horribly self-conscious to be paraded about like that but it would also allow Athos to show the world what a lucky bastard he was to be able to call this man his.

They arrived at the restaurant right on time. Athos walked them up to the maitre d with his hand resting on the small of Aramis’ back once more. “My boy and I have a reservation. De la Fere,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” the maitre d replied. “One moment while I see if your table is ready.”

“Athos,” Aramis whispered when the man had walked away, thoroughly embarrassed at being referred to as Athos’ boy in the middle of a fancy restaurant.

Athos quickly glanced around, making sure no one else was near or looking their way. All at once, he slapped Aramis hard across the face then leaned in close. “What did I tell you to call me, boy?” he snarled.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Aramis said at once, stunned that Athos had actually slapped him in public. He felt such a rush of humiliation that his knees almost buckled and he had to lock his legs in place to keep standing. At the same time, he realized he was achingly hard, his cock throbbing in his designer slacks and nearly whimpered at the dichotomy of sensations.

“Your table is ready, Mr. de la Fere,” the maitre d said breaking their little bubble and causing Aramis to blush even hotter. “If you would be so kind as to follow me.”

Athos took Aramis by the arm and led him along to their table. When the maitre d made to seat Aramis across from him, Athos shook his head and indicated the chair to his side. The man pulled that chair out instead and waited for the men to sit.

“Is your companion well?” the maitre de asked. “He appears a bit flushed, sir.”

“My boy is fine,” Athos told him. “Thank you for asking.”

Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, the man left telling them their waiter would be along shortly. Once they were alone, Athos studied Aramis carefully. He could see the mortification written all over his face. It was clear that Aramis did not realize that no one else was privy to what Athos had done. Athos thought about telling him, but then he remembered the very obvious bulge he had caught sight of and decided not to. After all, Aramis had said he would safe word if it got to be too much.

Athos waited until he saw a waiter making his way toward them then he casually let his hand reached under the table to rest on Aramis’ thigh. He chuckled when the other man gave a start but the waiter arrived before he could say anything. Athos ordered for the both of them, increasing Aramis’ embarrassment even more. As soon as they were alone again, Athos did not give Aramis a chance to open his mouth before he moved his hand up to palm over the prominent bulge in his pants. 

Aramis had to bite back a groan as Athos’ hand rubbed over him, palming his erection through his trousers. He was so hard he ached and Athos’ touch was light enough to be a tease, keeping him aroused and aching for him. 

“Do you think any of these people noticed how hard you were when we were walking to our table?” Athos asked conversationally. “I mean, it is quite obvious as to the role you fulfill, but I wonder if they realize how much you enjoy it.”

Aramis opened his mouth to reply but Athos cut him off before he could.

“If you call me Athos again, I will not hesitate to slap you right here,” he warned him.

“Yes, Mr. de la Fere,” Aramis gasped. His cock had actually twitched when Athos had said that and the worst part was, with Athos still palming him there was no way he had not felt it.

Athos had to admit, he was quite surprised by how much Aramis appeared to be enjoying their game. At first, he had thought him simply putting on a show of it for his sake, making the most of the fantasy for him, but that was obviously not the case. Aramis could fake a great many things, but this level of arousal was not one of them. Neither was this level of embarrassment. Aramis was genuinely humiliated by the way Athos was treating him, yet he was still so turned on he was nearly vibrating with it. 

Athos did not know if it was the humiliation itself that turned him on or if whatever was doing it simply had so strong an effect that it overrode any embarrassment he felt. At some point in the proceedings he would need to find out, if for no other reason than to ensure he did not make a misstep and inadvertently push Aramis into something he did not want or would not enjoy. But for now, he was quite happy to let things go as they were, letting Aramis' own body be his guide. 

Dinner ended up being a test of endurance for Aramis. Athos rarely stopped touching him, doing so only when he absolutely had to. Even when he did so, he kept up an almost constant monologue that kept both Aramis’ arousal and embarrassment equally stoked. 

Deciding to up the ante one more time, Athos pulled out his phone and thumbed through his contact list. Finding the number he was looking for, he dialed and waited, letting his hand stroke and rub over Aramis as he did. "Hello, Phillip," Athos said into the phone. "I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time."

Athos looked over at Aramis as he listened to the man on the other end of the line. He could tell he had the man's undivided attention from the somewhat worried look on his face. "I've got a job for you, if you're free in about an hour. I have the most beautiful boy, all dressed up just for me. It seems a shame not to have something to remember this night by." Athos paused for a moment, listening, then laughed into the phone. He gave the man their hotel name and suite number and told him what time to be there. When he hung up, he slid his phone back into his pocket and turned to look at Aramis fully only to find him blushing bright red and staring down at the tabletop.

"Something wrong, boy?" Athos asked as he palmed him under the table again. He would actually be worried if he had not felt Aramis' cock twitch under his hand more than once while he had been talking to Phillip. 

"No, Sir," Aramis said softly. 

"Good boy," Athos praised.

Once they were safely in the car on their way back to the hotel, Aramis breathed a sigh of relief. He really should have known better than to tempt fate like that. “If it couldn’t actually get us arrested, I would make you take your cock out right here and show me how hard you are for me,” Athos told him. 

“Please, Sir,” Aramis begged, closing his eyes at the thought of doing such a thing.

“Was that a please yes or a please no?” Athos asked, genuinely unsure.

“Please no,” Aramis clarified. 

“Don’t worry, Aramis. I don’t fancy having to bail you out of jail. I have much more interesting plans for you tonight,” Athos laughed. He did ease up on him a bit on the way back to the hotel, giving Aramis a few minutes to get himself back under control. He knew no one there would dare say anything but he would still rather spare Aramis too much undue attention.

Back in their suite, however, was another matter. “Well, I do hope you enjoyed yourself so far today,” Athos said as he began pulling off his tie. 

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said. He reached up to begin loosening his own tie but Athos grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

“Not yet,” he said. “I have a photographer coming, remember.”

“Ah, I forgot,” Aramis said. He had hoped Athos hadn’t been serious about having someone come and take pictures of him like this. While he didn’t really mind the suit, he had a feeling that was not all his lover would demand of him.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be out of it soon enough, but first, tell me you love me.”

Aramis stopped completely, stunned into stillness. He remembered Athos’ warning from what felt like years ago but had not thought the man would actually go through with it and even if he did, he did not think he would find the idea so appalling.

“You know I do,” Aramis hedged as he began moving about the room again, keeping his back to Athos. 

“Hmm, yes,” Athos murmured. “And I want to hear you say it.” 

Aramis heard the steel underlying the softly spoken words and knew he had no choice. Swallowing against the dryness in his throat, he opened his mouth to speak only to have to close it. He swallowed again and forced himself to comply.

“I love you, Sir,” he said, a voice inside him screaming at the way he was betraying Athos. And it did not matter that this _was_ Athos because, here and now, he wasn’t. Here and now, he was Mr. de la Fere and Sir, not Athos. Apparently, that made all the difference in the world to Aramis’ subconscious.

“There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Athos mocked, careful to keep the true concern from his eyes and voice. He had not missed the way Aramis genuinely struggled with this and he wasn’t sure why. It was something they would need to talk about when this was over with.

Twenty minute later, the photographer arrived and began setting up his gear. Athos had Aramis fix him a drink as they waited for Phillip to get set up. "Anything in particular you wanted?" Phillip asked Athos as he adjusted his portable lights. "Or should I just start and you see where the mood takes you?"

"Let's start with him in the suit," Athos said. "From there, we'll see."

"Sounds good to me," Phillip said. "Put him however you want him. I'm ready whenever you are."

Aramis wondered yet again if his face would not end up some permanent shade of red by he time this was all over. Not only was he not even being directly spoken to, but he was to be posed and positioned by Athos as if he were some inanimate object. Still, he supposed it could be considerably worse. At least he was still in the designer suit Athos had bought him. 

Athos had him pose over every conceivable surface in the hotel suite, finally ending up sprawled out on the king-sized bed. Aramis had the suit jacket unbuttoned, as well as the first few buttons on his dress shirt. He was leaning back on his elbows, his legs spread somewhat lewdly. The pose said one thing and one thing only - come fuck me. 

After a few dozen pictures, Phillip lowered his camera and studied Aramis. He then looked to Athos then back to Aramis. "You know, you could get up on the bed behind him," he suggested. "Wrap your arm around him and pull him back against him. Unless you just wanted the pictures to be of him."

"No, that's an excellent idea," Athos said. He went over to the bed then hesitated as he looked down at Aramis. "I think he's a bit overdressed for that, though. Don't you?"

"Oh yeah," Phillip grinned. "Have him lose the jacket and shirt."

"You heard the man, boy," Athos said, smirking as he held his hand out and took the jacket and shirt from him when he removed them. He draped them over the back of one of the chairs in the room then moved back to the bed. He sat down, his back against the headboard and his legs spread wide then motioned for Aramis to move between them.

Having little choice, Aramis moved onto the bed between Athos' legs. He felt the man's arm encircle his waist then pull him back snug against him. He was a bit surprised at how comforting he found the feel of Athos against him and was able to relax slightly. 

As soon as Athos felt Aramis start to relax he brought his arm up so that it wrapped across his chest with Athos' hand resting right over Aramis' right nipple. The sound of Phillip starting to shoot again startled Athos for a moment and he froze along with Aramis then he smirked again as he began to let his fingers glide back and forth over the sensitive nub.

Aramis bit his lip to hold back a moan as Athos played his body. His lover knew just how to touch him to make him respond. Even though he was no virgin by any stretch of the imagination, sex with another man was still fairly new to him and he still found himself reacting strongly any time Athos touched him. 

"You know I develop my own film so if you want him completely naked, I don't mind," Phillip laughed as Aramis all but writhed on the bed between Athos' legs. 

"Mmm. Now that is an interesting thought," Athos said as he leaned forward and bit down lightly on the side of Aramis' neck.

"Ah! Athos, please!" Aramis cried out at the unexpected sensation. A moment later he realized his mistake as he felt Athos go stock still behind him.

Athos paused for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He remembered how well Aramis had reacted to being slapped in the restaurant. He didn't think he would object to a similar reprimand now. In fact, from the way he had gone still and tense, he had a feeling he was expecting it. Athos hated to be predictable, though. 

Fisting his free hand in Aramis' hair, he jerked his head back hard, baring his throat. "What did I tell you, boy?" he snarled in Aramis' ear menacingly.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Aramis said quickly, his eyes watering at the painful grip Athos had on his hair. "I didn't mean to."

"Liar," Athos spat. "This is the second time tonight you've been intentionally disrespectful toward me."

"Please, Mr. De la Fere, I'm sorry," Aramis begged, genuinely upset that he had let Athos down and embarrassed him in front of one of his hirelings. 

"You will be," Athos told him. "Strip off. Right now, boy. Everything."

As soon as Athos let go of his hair, Aramis moved to comply. His hands were shaking as he fumbled with his trousers. Once he had them unfastened, he quickly pulled them down and off along with his underwear. Naked, he knelt on the bed between Athos' legs and waited for the man's orders.

"Lay yourself across my lap," Athos directed him. "Since a slap across the face was not enough of a deterrent, perhaps being spanked like an unruly child will have some effect."

"Yes, Sir," Aramis whispered, eyes glued to the duvet as he maneuvered himself into position. The shame that coursed through him now was not the same as it was before. This was not the titillating shame of before. This was the shame of failure, of knowing he had failed Athos and was therefore unworthy of his place.

"Steady, boy," Athos said as he stroked his hand along Aramis' back. He arranged him a bit more evenly across his lap, noticing the faint tremor that ran through Aramis as he did so. He glanced up at Phillip but the photographer was busy snapping pictures, immortalizing this moment for them. Athos wasn't sure if he liked that idea or not but it was too late to do anything about it now. He could always destroy the photographs later if necessary.

Raising his arm, Athos brought his hand down hard and fast, striking Aramis firmly on the left buttock. He felt the sting in his hand and was not surprised when Aramis jerked and gasped. He gave him a few seconds for the sting to dissipate before he struck him again on the other cheek, earning another jerk and gasp.

Athos alternated between both sides of Aramis' ass until his cheeks were glowing brightly and Aramis was moaning near constantly. "Easy now, boy," Athos said when he finally stopped. He helped Aramis move off his lap and up onto his knees. "All done now. It's all over."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Aramis apologized again as he knelt on the bed in front of Athos. He kept his eyes firmly down, unable to handle seeing the disappointment in Athos' or the smug smirk in the photographer's. 

"I know," Athos told him as he tipped Aramis' chin up forcing him to look at him. "And it's forgiven. Has my boy taken all he can for one night?"

"I... I take whatever you tell me to, Mr. De la Fere," Aramis replied. 

"If you want to fuck him, I'll gladly shoot it," Phillip said, eying Aramis up and down like a piece of meat.

Athos' eyes snapped over to the photographer and narrowed sharply. "That will not be required," he said icily, letting the man know he had most definitely overstepped himself. "I believe we are done for tonight. Please let me know when the photographs are ready."

"Yes, Sir," Phillip said contritely and immediately began packing up his equipment. 

Athos pulled Aramis close to him, careful to keep him from putting any pressure on his backside but wanting to provide what comfort and concealment he could. He knew Aramis felt horribly exposed right now, both physically and emotionally and that it was completely Athos' doing. Because of that, it was up to Athos to protect him now until he was able to protect himself once more.

Once they were finally alone again, Athos pulled Aramis around so that they were facing each other again. "Are you okay? Truly okay?" he asked worriedly.

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said.

“Good," Athos sighed in relief. From Aramis' answer it was clear he was not ready for the scene to end yet. With that in mind, he chose his next words carefully. "Because I spent a great deal of money on you today. I would expect you to be appreciative of that.”

Aramis looked up sharply. He took in the almost predatory gleam in Athos’ eyes and swallowed, feeling a sudden surge of butterflies in his stomach. “I am appreciative,” he said.

“Come now, I’m sure you can do better than that,” Athos told him.

“Is there… is there a particular way you would like me to show my appreciation?” Aramis asked.

“You look so pretty on your knees,” Athos smirked. “Perhaps you would care to spend some there now.”

Aramis licked his lips and nodded. “Should I…” 

“By all means,” Athos told him. “Kneel on the floor. I want to be able to look at you."

Knowing better than to make Athos wait, Aramis quickly scurried off the bed and onto his knees on the floor. He bowed his head, letting his hands come to rest at his sides and waited.

“So pretty like this,” Athos mused as he ran his fingers through Aramis’ hair then gripped it tightly and raised his face up to look at him. “With your eyes all wide and shame coloring your cheeks. Take my cock out, boy. It’s past time for you to earn your keep.”

Aramis could not hold back a moan at Athos’ words, his own cock throbbing in want. If he had any doubt before that being debased in such a way turned him on, it was now gone. Everything Athos said, every humiliating word, went straight to his cock, making it throb and ache and it took all of his self-control not to reach down and touch himself. 

Instead, Aramis reached forward with shaking hands and did as Athos said. He undid his pants and pushed them and his boxers down his hips until his erection sprang free. He did not waste any time after that. Wrapping one hand around the base, he opened his mouth and drew him inside. The moan he pulled from Athos was like music and he began to lick and suck him as best he could, eager to please the man standing above him, eager to earn his keep.

“Fuck, yes,” Athos groaned as Aramis sucked him enthusiastically into his hot, wet mouth. He sank his other hand in the man’s thick hair and began guiding his head, setting the rhythm he wanted. Normally, Aramis would resist, wanting to be the one to guide the encounter when doing this. This time, however, he did as Athos wanted, acquiescing to his demands and allowing himself to be used as he would.

“I’m gonna come down your throat,” Athos said after a few moments, unable to last much longer. He had wanted to prolong the encounter but he simply could not. The entire day had been one extended session of foreplay and he was too wound up to make it last. Thrusting in deep, he held Aramis’ head in place and began to come, flooding his boys’ mouth and spilling straight down his throat.

Panting and spent, Athos finally managed to pull out of Aramis’ mouth. Reaching down, he grabbed him under the arms and hoisted him up, dumping them both onto the bed on their sides. When he looked at Aramis, he could see that the man had his eyes squeezed tightly shut and he was shaking slightly.

“’Mis?” Athos called softly, brushing his damp hair off his forehead.

“Please. Please let me come, Sir,” Aramis begged. His hands were fisted at his sides to keep from touching himself without Athos’ permission but he was so hard he hurt and he needed to come. 

“Oh fuck,” Athos gasped. He looked down Aramis’ body and took in the sight of his flushed and swollen cock. It was curved up toward his stomach and leaking a steady stream of fluid. Reaching down, Athos wrapped his hand around it causing Aramis to buck and shout.

“Please, Sir,” Aramis gasped, throwing his head back as he fought not to come without Athos’ permission.

“Yes,” Athos said at once as he began to stroke him. “Yes, come for me.” That was all the permission Aramis needed. With a cry, he began to come, his seed striping over his stomach and chest in long, sticky ropes. 

When it was over, both men lay exhausted and panting. “Musketeer,” Athos said, effectively ending the scene. When Aramis turned his head and looked at him, he rolled over and kissed him. 

“I love you,” Aramis told him. 

“I love you, too,” Athos replied. “Was it okay?”

“It was… a great many things,” Aramis admitted. “Okay could be considered one of them.”

“I didn’t go too far then?” Athos asked still worried despite Aramis’ assurances. He knew, overall, things went well, but there had been a few times when he had wondered if he was truly pushing too hard. He had seen the very real struggle Aramis had gone through more than once and he had been surprised when the man had managed to keep going.

“No,” Aramis said though his reply was not nearly as heart-felt as Athos would have preferred. From the look on Aramis’ face, it wasn’t as heart-felt as he would have liked either.

“Alright, this is what’s going to happen now,” Athos said, making a decision. “I’m going to get a cloth and clean us up then we’re going to get in this very nice bed and talk about today.”

“Athos…”

“I need to know what didn’t work for you,” Athos told him. “I know some things went too far. You pushed through them for my sake but I need to know what those were so I can try to understand why they were too much and how to keep it from happening next time. Assuming, of course, that you want there to be a next time.”

“I do,” Aramis said quickly. “I want this again. I’m a bit surprised by how much I want this again, actually.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Athos smiled. He kissed him on the forehead and got up to get the items needed to clean Aramis up. Once they were both resting comfortably, they could talk. 

Aramis stayed where he was, watching as Athos got a cloth and a towel as well as two bottles of water. When he came back over, Aramis reached for the cloth but Athos batted his hand away and began cleaning him himself. When Aramis was clean, Athos quickly stripped out of his own suit and draped it over the back of a chair before climbing back in beside the other man. 

As soon as Athos was laying down, Aramis rolled over against him so that his head was pillowed on his chest, his long legs twining with Athos’ own so that they were touching nearly head to foot. He knew Athos would probably have preferred to be able to see his face for the upcoming conversation, but Aramis was not sure he could handle that. Not right now.

“First things first,” Athos said. “I love you. I wanted to tell you that again. Spending an entire day unable to say that to you was hell.”

“Hmm,” Aramis murmured.

“But that is one of the things you had the most trouble with,” Athos pointed out. “Why was that? I would have thought you would find it reassuring to some degree to be able to tell me you love me.”

“But I wasn’t telling you,” Aramis said softy. “I was telling Mr. de la Fere. It felt like I was betraying you by saying it. I know that doesn’t make any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense,” Athos told him. “And I won’t ask that of you again.”

“If it’s something you want…”

“Not at your expense,” Athos countered. “None of this is at your expense, Aramis. If something doesn’t work for you, if it’s too much, then we don’t do it.”

“Thank you,” Aramis said. He pressed a soft kiss to Athos’ chest, grateful for his lover’s understanding. It made it so much easier to let go knowing that Athos would protect him even in this.

“Now tell me what else,” Athos urged. “I know the photographer made you uneasy.”

“Only in that it was someone else’s eyes on me.”

“There were other people’s eyes on you all day, love.”

“Not like that,” Aramis said. “Not being posed like a mannequin then… then stripped naked and… and sp-spanked.”

“Okay, one thing at a time,” Athos said. “So the photographer was okay, he just made you a little nervous?”

“Yes,” Aramis said. He remembered how hotly he had flushed as shame had rushed through him at the thought of being treated so and he felt his face heat again. At least his body was too sated at the moment to get hard.

“I’m going to circle back to the spanking in a minute because I don’t think that worked out quite like we thought it would,” Athos said. “In the meantime, I’d like to talk about what you got from all of this.”

“What I got?” Aramis repeated his mind freezing at the thought of having to explain himself.

“Yes,” Athos said calmly. “It was clear that you got something from it, something you were not expecting. I would like to discuss that.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Aramis admitted.

“I can put you back in the scene, if necessary,” Athos said. “This is important, Aramis. I need to understand what you got from this and why.”

Aramis opened his mouth and tried to reply, but he couldn’t get the words out. He felt the now familiar rush of shame and cringed. He had no idea how he was going to explain this, how he was going to articulate what he felt when he could barely understand it.

Athos felt Aramis go rigid against him. He could feel his breath coming quick and shallow against his chest and tightened his arm around him. “In the restaurant,” he began carefully, “you were visibly aroused after I slapped you. Much more so than I believe you expected to be. I don’t think it was the pain…”

“No,” Aramis choked out. “No, I've never really liked pain.”

“Then what was it?” Athos pressed gently.

“The… humiliation,” Aramis finally said. “Of being so blatantly under the control of another and in public no less.”

“You enjoyed the humiliation?”

“Yes,” Aramis admitted as his face flamed again.

“And is it exciting you right now?”

Aramis let out a strangled laugh at that. “No, but I’m not sure if it’s because I just came and can’t get it up yet or because I am terrified.”

“What are you afraid of?” Athos asked, frowning.

“I just told you I got off on spending the day being humiliated by you,” Aramis said. “And you don’t think I should, perhaps, be concerned about your reaction?”

“Considering the fact that I’m the one who spent the day humiliating you for his own pleasure? No, I don’t.”

“But you didn’t expect me to enjoy it,” Aramis argued.

“No, that was just my good fortune. Did you truly think I would be upset that you found pleasure in this?”

“I didn’t really think about it.”

“Well, I’m not upset. I’m thrilled to know that you might have gotten even a portion of the pleasure out of this that I did.”

“I did,” Aramis told him. “I… it was… to have you control me like that, as if you owned me…”

“I will remember that,” Athos whispered huskily before forcing himself to concentrate again. “There is one more thing we need to talk about, though.”

“What is that?”

“The spanking. You were genuinely distressed during that. It wasn’t like the slap in the restaurant.”

“No,” Aramis frowned. “I’m not sure why either. I was ashamed, of course, but it wasn’t the same, it didn’t feel good. I felt…”

“You felt what?” Athos pressed.

“I felt like I’d disappointed you and in front of someone else as well. I felt… I felt like I didn’t deserve my place. That I had failed.”

“Oh,” Athos said suddenly understanding what he thought might have happened. This was something he had truly not expected. While Aramis had been resoundingly submissive for the entire scene, it had only been play. Right up until it suddenly hadn’t been.

“Athos?” Aramis asked when Athos failed to say anything else.

“Sorry,” Athos said, shaking himself out of his thoughts. “I think I know what might have happened there.”

“You do?” Aramis asked.

“Yeah. Um, how much do you know about D/s relationships?” Athos asked deciding to simply be frank.

“Not… much,” Aramis said hesitantly. “Why?”

“Because I think you may have slipped a bit during that part and I didn’t notice,” Athos said.

“Slipped? Slipped how?”

“Slipped into a more submissive mindset,” Athos said. “A true one, not… not the one you were playing at all day. That’s why the spanking upset you where the slap didn’t. It was still play when I slapped you. When I spanked you, it wasn’t.” 

“So I was upset because…”

“Because for you, right then, it was real. I really was your… You really were my boy and you had disappointed me.”

“You seem to know a lot about this,” Aramis said, neither confirming not denying Athos’ statement.

“Not really. I know a little bit, but not, well…”

“What?”

“Not enough to do this safely,” Athos replied. “If it’s something you want to try again. If not, we don’t and I’ll make sure to pay better attention next time. I’m sorry I missed it happening this time.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Aramis told him. He was trying to take in what Athos had said. Did he want to do this again? He had _not_ liked the feelings that had come when he thought he had disappointed the other man. 

“No, but it was my responsibility all the same,” Athos told him. “You were my sub. Even if we didn’t call it that. Even if we were just playing. You were my sub and my responsibility.”

“I don’t know if I would want to do that again,” Aramis told him. “It… the feeling of failure…”

“Then we won’t,” Athos said simply.

“Perhaps we can research it a bit? Together?” Aramis suggested. 

“Get a better understanding before we make a decision?” Athos asked. When he felt Aramis nod against him he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I love you, Aramis.”

“I love you, too. I do have a request, however.”

“What’s that?” Athos asked.

“Next time we do this, will you fuck me as well?”

Athos felt like he was the one that had been slapped. The very thought of fucking Aramis like that, blushing and stammering and calling him Sir made his cock throb in a valiant attempt to get hard again. 

“Athos?”

“If you’re not careful, I’ll end up fucking you this time as well,” Athos said, his voice strangled.

“While the spirit may be willing, I do believe the flesh is too weak,” Aramis chuckled as he reached out and caressed Athos’ still-soft flesh. 

“We don’t have to leave in the morning, you know,” Athos told him.


	2. Chapter 2

_“We don’t have to leave in the morning, you know,” Athos told him._

“We don’t?”

Athos looked down at him for a moment then twisted to the side and grabbed the phone off the nightstand. He pressed the button for the front desk and waited to be connected. “Yes, I’d like the extend my reservation for another day. Yes. Thank you.” Athos hung up the phone and looked back down at Aramis. “Does that answer your question?”

Athos awoke the next morning feeling like he was still lost in a dream. He could not believe how well things had gone the previous day. He had expected to enjoy himself. What he had not expected was Aramis to fall so fully into the role and to relish it as he had. He had not expected his lover to discover a previously unknown fondness for humiliation. It was like all of his birthdays and Christmases coming at once. 

As he thought about their conversation the night before, he recalled Aramis' desire to continue their play. It was why he had extended their reservation. He did not think his lover was up to trying this back at the penthouse, at least not yet. Perhaps one day, when he felt more secure with both his own sexuality as well as the acceptance of those around them he would be willing to try. If not, Athos would arrange as many of these trysts as Aramis wished. 

For now, however, he needed to think about what he wanted to do today. Aramis had requested to keep playing. He had also requested to be fucked. Athos had no problem fulfilling both of those requests. What he needed to know, though, was how far Aramis wanted to take this. How far was he willing to let Athos go? There were a great many things Athos would love to try, things he thought Aramis, with his desire to be humiliated, would find extremely arousing, but he was not sure how to go about bringing them up. They would have to talk more, that much was obvious, but Athos thought that could wait for just a little while. Instead, he thought Aramis might enjoy being woken up a bit differently. 

They had gone to bed naked, which made things very convenient for Athos now. Pulling back the blankets, he stroked himself until his cock was hard. Then, he rolled over onto his side so he was facing Aramis. He slid one hand into his hair and let the other one wander up and down his chest, rubbing and tugging at his nipples until they stood up then sliding his hand lower still. He smiled to himself when Aramis began to slowly blink awake. Once he knew the man was not simply going to fall back asleep, he kept his one hand fisted in his hair but rolled back over onto his back and resumed lazily stroking his own cock. 

"Athos?" Aramis called sleepily, still trying to wake up all the way.

"What did you call me, boy?" Athos snapped, turning his head to keep Aramis from seeing the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Ah, sorry, Sir," Aramis said coming more awake. He had not expected Athos to go straight back into the scene. Not that he minded, he was just surprised and still trying to wake up. "What...what did you want..."

"Get your mouth on me, boy," Athos growled, tightening his grip on Aramis' hair as he did. The other man's reaction was instant. He rolled over and up onto his knees then he quickly leaned down and placed a kiss to the head of Athos' cock as the other man held it for him. His own cock was painfully hard already and Aramis had to resist the urge to reach down and grab himself.

"Suck me, boy," Athos told him again as he pulled Aramis' face down toward his cock roughly.

Aramis opened his mouth as soon as Athos began pulling him downward and took the man's cock into his mouth. He groaned as Athos thrust his hips up while pushing his head down, forcing Aramis to take him in to the root. He could feel his throat working around the intrusion, but he fought down his gag reflex and began running his tongue over the shaft as much as he could.

"Yeah, boy, suck it," Athos moaned as Aramis bobbed up and down on him enthusiastically. He kept the pressure on his head firm, enjoying the way Aramis had to push back against his hand to be able to pull back. The knowledge that he was controlling him like this, that he was the one who got to determine how deep Aramis took him, how long he held him that way, was almost as good as the blowjob itself. 

Aramis' own cock throbbed between his legs as Athos fucked his mouth up and down on his cock. He nearly choked every time Athos would force his cock in particularly deep but that fact only made Aramis hotter. He wanted so badly to reach down and touch himself, to stroke his cock in time to the way Athos was fucking his mouth up and down on him. 

"You like this, don't you?" Athos gasped, taking in the desperate way Aramis was moving as well as the way he was whining and moaning while Athos used him. "You like me fucking your mouth like a whore. That's because you are a whore. You're my whore. Isn't that right, boy?"

Aramis froze for a moment as Athos words sank in. He felt the familiar hot rush of humiliation roll through him and he groaned around the prick fillings his mouth and nodded as best he could. He was a whore. He was Athos' whore. No, that wasn't right. He was Mr. De la Fere's whore. That thought sent a spike of arousal through him so powerful that Aramis thought himself in danger of actually coming. Athos suddenly tightened his grip on his hair and jerked his head down even harder. A second later, the cock in his mouth swelled and began to spurt, filling Aramis' mouth with hot, salty come as Athos held him in place and came in his mouth.

Athos continued to hold Aramis’ head in place, making him keep his cock buried in his mouth until he began to grow soft. Only then did he tug him up and off, maintaining the grip he had on his hair and using it to pull Aramis up next to him on the bed.

“You have a choice now, boy,” Athos told him as he stared into Aramis’ lust-blown eyes. “I can go ahead and let you get off now or you can show me what a good, obedient boy you can be by waiting. But I need to warn you, if you decide to wait, it will be a very long time before you get the opportunity to come again. Now, which do you want?”

“I want,” Aramis gasped then stopped. He wanted to come so badly he was nearly shaking with it but he held back. For as much as he wanted release, he wanted to please Athos more. 

“Boy?” Athos asked when Aramis failed to answer, seeming to struggle with the choice he had been given.

Aramis looked at him and licked his red, swollen lips. He took a breath and smiled softly at his lover. “I want to please you, Sir,” he said. 

“Are you sure?” Athos asked, surprised by Aramis’ answer. He could see how aroused he was, how badly he wanted to come, but he was willing to put that aside for him. His heart swelled in his chest at the knowledge that Aramis would allow himself to be controlled by him like this.

“I am,” Aramis replied. “But what do you want, Sir?”

“I want to control you completely,” Athos said without hesitation.

“Then control me,” Aramis told him.

“As you wish,” Athos said. He rolled over and kissed Aramis hotly, thrusting his tongue into his mouth deeply and moaning at the taste of himself still there. “First, however, we need to talk.”

Aramis nodded shakily as he fought for control. His body was still on fire from earlier and the smallest stimulation was going straight to his cock. “Musketeer,” he managed to get out, knowing what Athos had meant when he said talk. They needed to discuss what they planned to do and they could not do that while still in the scene.

As soon as the word was out, Athos rolled Aramis over onto his back. He stared down at his lover for a moment, just taking in the sight of him like this, eyes wide with a combination of lust, shame and anticipation. "I love you," Athos said then kissed him softly. "That's the one thing I have a hard time with, not being able to tell you I love you."

"I feel the same," Aramis agreed. "I hate not being able to say that to you."

"Yet when I made you..."

"I wasn't saying it to you," Aramis replied. "At least it didn't feel like I was saying it to you. That was the problem."

"I know," Athos grinned. He kissed him once more then sat up next to him. He urged Aramis to sit up as well so they were facing each other. "So, you're sure you want to continue on where we left off?"

"Yes," Aramis replied. "I'm curious about something, though."

"What?"

"You mentioned D/s relationships before," Aramis began. "And that you thought I had slipped into a submissive mindset. I find myself curious about that...about exploring what that might be like for us."

"You want to explore submission? More so than we have so far?" Athos asked.

"Yes," Aramis answered. "I know you are still holding back, that you want more from me."

"I do want to push you," Athos admitted. "But I'm afraid of going too far."

"If you do not trust yourself to stop then trust me to stop you. I won't let you harm me, Athos. I won't let you harm us."

"Alright. I want this too much not to try it. I am going to be hard on you, Aramis. Very hard. The rules from the previous day will still apply. Also, while in this room, you will remain naked at all times. You will ask my permission before doing anything, even using the bathroom. Since you enjoy being humiliated so much, I plan to do just that. Utterly. If you have any objections, make them now."

"No, Sir," Aramis said, his voice strangled as a wild rush of desire surged through him.

"Then we need to get dressed," Athos said. "We have some shopping to do before we can get started in earnest."

"Shopping, Sir?" 

"I wasn't planning on anything this elaborate," Athos explained. "I didn't bring anything with me. If we are going to continue, then we need some...accessories."

Aramis didn't think a single word could make his cock that hard that fast. He had no idea what Athos meant by accessories but he was anxious to find out, even if it would end up embarrassing him horribly. He was not a complete novice, he knew about the various kinds of toys people used. He was not sure what Athos had in mind with them but he was sure it would be enjoyable, whatever it was.

"You seem to like the idea," Athos smirked, eying Aramis' twitching arousal. He reached out and stroked it, eliciting a low moan from the man.

"Yes, Sir," Aramis panted, blushing slightly.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to hate what I have in store for you. Not that it would change my mind at all."

"Sir..."

"Go get dressed," Athos said abruptly releasing him. "Then lay out something for me to put on. I have a phone call I need to make." He waited until Aramis was busy doing as he had instructed before calling the front desk and asking for the manager. He quickly arranged for the various room cameras to be turned on and begin recording, the footage to be saved to a drive he would be given upon check-out.

"Your clothes are ready, Sir," Aramis said once he was dressed.

"Good boy," Athos said. He considered having Aramis dress him but he wanted to get their shopping trip over with and knew if he did that, it would take considerably longer for them to get out the door.

Once Athos was dressed he took a moment to look Aramis up and down. He was dressed in what he had worn the previous day. That would simply not do. Shaking his head, Athos went over to the clothes he'd had delivered. Looking through them, he pulled out a pair of designer jeans and a tight black shirt and tossed them to Aramis. "Change."

Aramis felt himself blushing even more as he changed into the clothes Athos had selected. The jeans fit like a second skin and the shirt was not much better, with a deep vee that showed much more of his chest than he was comfortable with. Still, if Athos wished him to dress like a whore and show him off then he would do so.

"Better," Athos said once Aramis was dressed once more. He moved in front of him and ran his hands over his chest, smirking when he felt his nipples begin to harden under his touch. He let his hand ghost lower until it reached his belt. He paused there and brought his other hand to Aramis' hip, gripping him so he could not pull back, before moving his hand down and palming him firmly. He kept it up until he felt Aramis was sufficiently hard, then pulled back to admire his handiwork.

Aramis was flushed and panting. His nipples were visible through the thin fabric of his shirt and his hard cock was easy to see in his tight jeans. Athos thought he looked good enough to eat and had to resist the urge to lick his lips. It would not do for his boy to see how much of an affect he had on his owner, after all.

The thing Athos liked most about this hotel was the fact that it catered to a very exclusive clientele. While he had chosen the place more for its discretion, it was turning out to be quite serendipitous. Not only did he not have to worry about prying eyes seeing something they shouldn't, but he did not even have to leave the hotel to acquire the things they would need. La Decadence boasted a well-stocked shop that should have everything he wanted. If not, the hotel would happily send someone out to get it for him.

As he walked Aramis down to the shop, one hand low enough on his back to be little more than groping, he ran through a mental list of what he wanted. There were so many things he wanted to try, things he had only imagined doing. A few he had actually observed, though he had never before allowed himself to indulge his fantasies. He had never felt safe enough, never trusted a lover enough not to end up using such knowledge against him. And, if he was being completely honest with himself, he had not wanted any other this way save Aramis.

Finally, they came to a large set of ornate double doors with an electronic keypad on the side. Athos pulled out their room key and swiped it and the doors unlocked with an audible click. Seeing how nervous Aramis had become, Athos took pity on him and took his hand as they walked into the shop.

Aramis was grateful when Athos took his hand. He smiled his thanks at him as they walked through the doors. He started slightly when he heard the doors lock behind them then his eyes took in the rows of merchandise running all along the walls and he stopped in his tracks. Aramis knew about sex toys, of course. He even knew that there were stores that sold that sort of thing. He had not expected to find one in their rather posh hotel, however. He felt himself turning an alarming shade of red and tried to take a step backward, but Athos' strong grip on his hand prevented him.

"Problem, boy?" Athos asked, his voice carrying a hint of displeasure at Aramis' behavior.

"No, Sir," Aramis said, swallowing down his embarrassment.

"Good," Athos replied. "I would hate to have to discipline you right here."

Aramis sucked in a breath and bit back a moan at Athos' words. He could tell from the look on his face that he meant it and a shiver of lust ran through him at the thought. Would Athos slap him across the face again? Or would he put him over his knee as he had done in front of the photographer? There were certainly plenty of things available for him to use should he decide his hand was no sufficient.

Athos watched the emotions play across Aramis' face. He was giving him time, both to take in his surroundings as well as come to terms with what he had just said. He was not surprised to see anxiety and fear in his lover's eyes. He was not surprised to see lust, either. Not this time. He was, however, a bit take aback by the strength of his reaction. Perhaps he was not the only one guilty of holding back. 

"They have rooms in the back, you know," Athos whispered in his ear as he let his hand slide down to palm and caress Aramis’ ass, "where I can secure you in place and beat you until you weep."

"Sir," Aramis gasped, his cock throbbing painfully in his jeans.

"I think we'll save that for later," Athos said. "I have plans for your ass and I don't want it black and blue for them. Don't worry, though. I promise you won't be able to sit by the time we leave here."

"Yes, Sir," Aramis rasped, unsure what else to say that did not amount to begging Athos to do so now. He had no idea where this desire was coming from but he could not deny it. He did not want to deny it. 

"Now, boy, I want you to go and pick out a plug for yourself," Athos instructed. "I'll take care of getting everything else."

"A plug?" Aramis repeated.

"Yes, Aramis, a butt plug," Athos said slowly. "You do know what one is, don't you?"

"Yes, Sir," Aramis said, looking down contritely. 

"Then get on with it." Athos watched him look about for a moment, seemingly lost then head in the direction of plugs and dildos. Athos grinned as he watched him go, knowing how horribly embarrassed he had to be. It was one thing for him to be here with Athos. It was quite another for him to have to pick something out on his own. 

With Aramis taken care of for the time being, Athos approached the counter. He quickly ran down his list: a vibrator, leather restraints, several candles, a blindfold, a cane and a penis gag. He didn't plan to use all of these this time around, but he wanted to be prepared. Besides which, if this was something Aramis truly enjoyed then he would need to build up his collection accordingly.

As the saleswoman went off to fill his order, Athos browsed the various lubricants on display. He picked out a couple, wanting to make sure they had plenty on hand and set them on the counter. He turned in time to watch Aramis walking toward him, his hand held down by his leg, shielding the object in his hand and making Athos grin.

"So what did you find?" He asked, holding out his hand. 

Aramis placed the plug in the other man's hand and waited. It was bright red, the only color they had in that size, and he felt horribly conspicuous even if they were the only customers in the shop at the moment. He risked a glance at Athos' face as he examined it and immediately wished he hadn't for it was clear that he was not pleased with his choice.

"Really, boy?" Athos scoffed. "I assure you, my cock is my bigger than this. Or don't you remember? Is that it? Have you been fucked by so many men you can't even remember what size my cock is?"

"No!" Aramis nearly shouted then colored hotly before speaking softer. "No, Sir. I... I didn't know what size to get. Some of them...they're really big, Sir."

"I'm sure a slut like you won't have any problem," Athos told him. "Take this back and find something more appropriate. If I have to pick it out for you, you will not be happy."

Aramis quickly took the plug and returned to the display on the wall. He put the one he had selected back and began looking for a larger one. He took the next size up off the wall then hesitated. He did not want Athos to think it not large enough again. He was rather afraid of what the man might pick out for him in his stead. Putting that one back, he chose the next largest one. He held it up, trying to mentally compare it to Athos' cock. He thought the plug was somewhat bigger but not that much. He should be able to take it without too much difficulty.

When Aramis rejoined Athos, the saleswoman had returned and was ringing up his purchases. She had already put them in a large bag so Aramis had no idea what Athos had bought. He handed Athos the plug and literally held his breath as he waited. 

"Better," Athos said and handed the plug to the woman to be added to the rest. Once the sale was complete and the total charged to their room, Athos handed Aramis the bag to carry. He smirked anew when Aramis blushed. It wasn't like people could see into the bag or it had a giant picture of a dick on it. Still, Aramis knew what was in it and apparently that was enough.

Athos walked them back to their room slowly, enjoying the way Aramis fidgeted along the way. Back in their room, he had him set the bag on the dresser then directed him to order breakfast to be brought up for the two of them. As soon as Aramis moved toward the phone, however, Athos grabbed him by the arm.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked.

"Sir?" Aramis frowned, confused. 

"I see we need to have this conversation again," Athos said. "You will remain naked at all times within this room. You will not do anything without my express permission. Is it coming back to you now?"

"Ah, yes, Sir," Aramis replied. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Hmm. You seem to forget things quite often," Athos remarked. "Perhaps a reminder is in order."

"No, Sir," Aramis said quickly. "That won't be necessary."

"Then why are you still dressed?"

Aramis gaped at him for a moment before his words caught up with him then he quickly began shedding his clothes. He really didn't want a reminder right now. He had a feeling he was going to be getting enough reminders already without adding any more. He consoled himself with the fact that it was only him and Athos in their hotel room. No one else would be privy to him being forced to parade around in the nude, not even allowed the dignity of covering himself. 

Naked and his clothes put away, Aramis picked up the phone and ordered breakfast to be brought up to the room. Athos handed him a glass of water while they waited for room service and told him to drink it. Aramis grinned at the usual order but did as he was told, handing Athos the glass back when it was empty. A few minutes later, a knock at the door announced the arrival of their breakfast.

"Answer the door," Athos said when Aramis failed to do so. 

Aramis stared at him, shocked at the order, and blushed furiously. He looked around for a robe but didn't see anything and cast panicked eyes back to Athos. The cold authority he saw there let him know that his lover fully intended for him to answer the door exactly as he was. His safe word was on the tip of his tongue for one horrible moment, then he forced it back down and nodded.

"Yes, Sir," he said, his voice strangled.

He was almost to the door when Athos' voice called out stopping him. He turned toward the man and nearly missed the robe he tossed him in his surprise. "Our food is getting cold," he said when Aramis only stood there.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you," he said quickly as he pulled on the robe and hurried to open the door.

Once breakfast was wheeled in, Athos once again had him strip. Athos sat down at the table and directed Aramis to sit beside him, pulling his chair close. Athos handed him a glass of juice and told him to drink it while he filled a plate with food. Once the juice was gone, Athos picked up a strawberry and held it to Aramis' lips.

"Everything you do will be at my direction," Athos told him when he saw his questioning look. 

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir," Aramis said softly then bit into the proffered strawberry. 

Breakfast continued that way with Athos eating and feeding Aramis random bites as he did so. Aramis had no choice but to sit quietly and wait for his owner to hand feed him each morsel. It was incredibly demeaning, much more so than anything they had done so far and Aramis was unsure as to why. It was something he would need to think about later. 

"Are you alright?" Athos asked once their breakfast was finished.

"Sir?"

"You are rather quiet," Athos explained. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine, Sir," Aramis replied. "Merely thinking. It is a lot to...adjust to."

"Fair enough," Athos said. "I do believe it's time to put that new plug of yours to use, don't you?"

"If that is what you wish," Aramis replied as demurely as he could manage.

"It is. First, though, I think I want to fuck you. You have ten minutes to prepare yourself."

Athos grabbed the plug and made himself comfortable on the bed and watched as Aramis quickly got the lube and laid down. He knew Athos would hold to his time limit and fuck him at the end of it whether he was stretched adequately or not. They had been doing this long enough that Aramis would not be harmed without sufficient prep but it would still amount to a rather rough ride if he was not. 

Athos had to bite his lip as he watched Aramis lube his fingers and sink one into his body without pause. He could well imagine what that had to feel like, that hot channel gripping his slick digit as he thrust it in. It was almost enough to make him want to pull Aramis' hand away and replace it with his own. Almost. 

When Aramis replaced his single finger with two much sooner than Athos knew he normally did, he frowned. He had not meant for him to rush that much. He wanted him on edge, hastening to obey him, but he didn't want him to cause himself undue pain in order to do so. 

"Slow down," Athos told him when he saw Aramis wince.

"Sir?"

"Do not hurt yourself. That pleasure is for me and me alone. Slow down. I will tell you when you are prepared enough."

Aramis slowed down then. He was touched that Athos was worried for him. He understood that his lover was, of course, concerned for him, that they were merely playing a game but it was easy to forget that in the heat of the moment. Having Athos remind him that he cared for his well-being, that he would look after him, even like this, eased something inside of him he had not even been aware needed easing. 

Athos saw the change that came over Aramis and made note of it. His boy was edging toward sub-space again. He would need to be mindful of that. He didn't mind, but he was not sure Aramis was prepared for it just yet. They would need to discuss it again, at least briefly, before Athos felt comfortable letting him slip that far. For now, he would keep a careful eye on him and make sure he didn't slip down any further.

“Such a good slut,” Athos murmured when Aramis let out a moan. He was pleased when he colored nicely at his words, thoroughly enjoying the sense of power it gave him to be able to do this to him. 

Athos let Aramis work three fingers inside himself before reaching over and grabbing his wrist. He carefully pulled his hand away from his body, sliding his fingers free. He knew he was not stretched quite enough to ensure that his penetration was without discomfort, but that was alright with Athos. He didn't mind making it hard on his boy, as long as he did not hurt him. 

"Slick my cock, then turn over on your belly," Athos told him, knowing the position was not one of Aramis' favorites. He didn't mind on his back or on his hands and knees, but he didn't like being pushed down flat on his stomach. It left him hardly able to move and made him feel helpless and out of control. That, though, was what Athos was going for right now. 

Aramis took the lube and slicked Athos' cock as ordered. He started to turn over then hesitated. "Sir..."

"What is it?" Athos asked, surprised Aramis had stopped.

"Will you kiss me first?" He asked quietly.

Athos stared at him for a moment then reached out and sank his hand into Aramis' hair. He pulled him toward him and kissed him hard and deep, shoving his tongue into his mouth and taking it. He had not expected Aramis to ask such a thing of him. They had not kissed very much during this and Athos had thought Aramis felt the same way about it that he did about telling him he loved him. Apparently not. Still, everything had a price and Athos would need to exact one for this.

Once Athos released him, Aramis wasted no time and quickly turned over onto his stomach. He spread his legs to give his lover room and could not help but moan when he felt the man's hands on his hips pulling them upward. He was so turned on he could hardly think and was glad Athos had pulled his hips up so his cock could no longer rub against the bed. He didn't think his owner would take too kindly to Aramis coming all over their bed without permission.

Athos quickly maneuvered Aramis into position then spread his cheeks. His hole was red and shiny with lube and he felt the man shiver when he placed the head of his cock against it. "Deep breath," he said when he began pushing in, knowing the stretch would be harder than usual for him.

Aramis bit down hard on his lip to try to stifle his moan as Athos' cock forced its way inside of him. He felt his body spasming around it, trying to expel the intruder. Athos, however, kept pushing forward, forcing more and more of himself into Aramis' body. By the time Athos bottomed out, his cock all the way inside of him, Aramis was shaking and moaning around him. He had never felt so full before and the fact that he was on his belly, barely able to move, only added to the affect.

All the way inside of him, Athos held himself in place, allowing Aramis a chance to adjust. When he felt his body stop clenching down so hard he pulled back and thrust forward. The action caused Aramis to shout and tense and Athos stilled again to give him a chance to calm. When he repeated the action, Aramis cried out and tried to push up with his arms. Athos immediately slammed a hand between his shoulders, forcing him back down to the bed.

"No," Athos growled as he pulled back and snapped his hips forward hard and fast, eliciting a pained yelp from his lover. "You take it, boy. Do you understand me?"

"Y-y-ye-yes, Sir," Aramis stammered, gripping the comforter tightly as Athos began to fuck into him in earnest, riding his ass.

Athos let go of his control then, fucking into Aramis as he would. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer and leaned down over his back. He fisted a hand in his hair and jerked his head back roughly. "Tell me you love me," he demanded as he continued to fuck him. 

Aramis gasped and tried to shake his head but Athos' hand in his hair prevented him. He knew he had a choice - do as he was told or safe word. Athos knew how hard this was for him and he had demanded it of him anyway. To Aramis, that made all the difference.

"I love you," he bit out, feeling a flare of guilt as he said it. "I love you, Sir."

"Yes!" Athos roared as he slammed forward and began to come. To hear Aramis telling him he loved him like this was enough to send him flying over the edge and he panted and gasped as he filled his lover's body with his seed.

Spent, Athos collapsed on top of Aramis, making him bear his weight as he panted through the aftershocks of his orgasm. He knew his boy had not come. He had not intended for him to. Even now, pressed flat against the mattress, Athos’ weight kept him from moving, from finding any relief for his aching cock. The knowledge that his control of Aramis was so complete sent a surge of… something… through Athos. It was not lust or arousal or anything like that. He was not sure what it was but he knew he wanted more of it.

He stayed like he was until his cock began to soften, only then did he push himself up and let himself slide free. He heard Aramis whimper as he did but could not tell if it was from denied arousal or pain. Both gave him a heady sense of power, making the feeling within him grow. 

Picking up the plug, he grabbed the lube and covered it liberally. He moved back between Aramis’ spread legs, nudging one of them up to give him better access. With his free hand, he spread his cheek, baring his slick, red hole and pressed the end of the plug against it. He felt Aramis tense at the feel of it but his boy did not protest. Pleased with his submission, Athos pressed the plug into him, watching as it disappeared into Aramis’ body. He didn’t feel any resistance until he got to the widest part. He paused then, giving Aramis a moment to prepare himself, then he pushed it in hard, forcing his body to stretch around it.

Aramis bit his arm to keep from making a sound as his body was breeched yet again. He was sore, his channel aching from Athos’ rough taking. Now, he was making him take the unyielding plug into him and he fought to stay still and endure it. When he paused, Aramis knew what was coming and tried to brace himself. He could not hold back his groan, however, when Athos forced his body to stretch even more.

“Easy, boy,” Athos said softly as he pushed the plug home, Aramis’ body closing around the base of it to hold it snugly inside him. He knew his boy was feeling it. The groan he had let slip as well as the slight tremor running through him told him as much. Still, he was proud of him. He had taken it without protest, something Athos was not sure he could, or would, do.

Athos moved off him then and stretched out beside him. Aramis stayed where he was, panting through the pain and trying not to move. He knew if he moved it would only hurt more. He also knew he didn’t have long before Athos would begin his next degradation. Aramis felt his anger rising at the thought. He had agreed to this, he knew, but he had told Athos how much it bothered him to say those words like this. He had told him how much of a betrayal it felt like and still the man had demanded it of him the first chance he got. 

“When you’ve pulled yourself together, fetch a washcloth and clean me up,” Athos told him derisively. 

Aramis froze at the words, white-hot anger knifing through him. Clean him up? He expected him to get up like this and clean him up? Did he not realize how much he hurt, how much getting up and moving would hurt? 

“Sometime today would be nice,” Athos said snidely.

“Yes, Mr. de la Fere,” Aramis snapped angrily and pushed up onto his hands and knees. He moved off the bed quickly, clenching his jaw to keep from making any noises. He strode to the bathroom and wet a cloth with warm water. He considered using cold but did not think he was up to the punishment such defiance would earn him at the moment. 

Returning to the bed, he knelt down and began cleaning Athos. He steadfastly refused to meet his eyes as he did so, concentrating instead on the task at hand. Once Athos was clean, he got to his feet and carried the cloth back into the bathroom. When he emerged this time, he found Athos watching him, his eyes narrowed and Aramis swallowed thickly at the unwanted scrutiny.

“Come here,” Athos said, his voice hard and firm.

Aramis’ lips thinned in annoyance but he obeyed, coming over to the side of the bed. He stood there, waiting for his next order, watching Athos. He grew more and more uneasy as Athos only watched him. The other man didn’t say anything, didn’t touch him, didn’t do anything but look at him. 

“Problem?” Athos asked after simply watching Aramis for a full five minutes.

“No, Sir, Mr. de la Fere, Sir,” Aramis replied, his voice fairly dripping with sarcasm. 

All at once, Athos swung his legs off the bed forcing Aramis to take a step back. He stood up and searched Aramis’ face. What he saw there told him all he needed to know. Without warning, Athos hand shot out and slapped Aramis hard across the face, snapping the man’s head to the side with the force of the blow.

Before Aramis could react, Athos fisted his hand in his hair and jerked his head back hard, baring his throat. “Do you have a problem, boy?” he snarled in his face, enraged at Aramis’ blatant show of disrespect. 

“No, Sir,” Aramis gasped quickly. “No, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir.”

“Disrespect me in such a manner again, boy, and you will not like the consequences,” Athos sneered, aware of how far down Aramis was slipping. He slung Aramis away from him, causing the man to stumble and nearly fall. He went over to his clothes and dressed, ignoring Aramis as did so. 

Aramis stared after him, his emotions a wild mix inside of him. On the one hand he felt thoroughly ashamed of his behavior, humiliated by how he had acted toward Athos and trying desperately to think of a way to make amends for it. Part of him could not even bring himself to meet his Sir’s eyes. He had deserved that slap. Deserved much more than that for how he had acted really.

On the other hand, though, he was still angry. Very angry. He felt Athos had crossed a line with him but he had no way to articulate that, at least no way that was allowed to him. Athos was allowed to do and say as he pleased and all Aramis could do was bite his tongue and take it. That knowledge made him chafe and heightened his anger ten-fold.

The mix of emotions, the constant shifting back and forth, actually made him feel sick and he clutched at his stomach without meaning to. He wished he could dress, could cover himself in some way. He hated feeling so vulnerable but Athos had made it quite clear that he wanted him this way.

Dressed, Athos picked up the morning paper and headed toward the balcony. “Come with me,” he told Aramis, his voice still cold. He could tell that Aramis was subdued but he could also see that he was still struggling. He hoped reinforcing his humiliation would help with that. If nothing else, would appease Athos’ own anger over Aramis’ rebellion.

When Athos opened the balcony door and stepped out, Aramis halted. He could not be serious. He couldn’t expect him to go outside completely naked. He felt his face flame, the blush extending all the way down to his chest as he stared helplessly after the man.

“Now, boy!” Athos snapped as he sat down in one of the chairs and unfolded the paper he had no intention of reading.

Aramis swallowed his trepidation and forced himself to walk out onto the balcony. He stared at the ground, terrified that he would see someone else and that they, therefore, could see him. He felt utterly humiliated, mortified to be paraded about in such a way. He truly was nothing more than a thing to Sir, no different than his suit or his car or his watch. 

“Sit down,” Athos directed, motioning absently to the chair next to him.

Aramis sat down quickly, grateful to be at least partially hidden from view by the railing. He knew better than to give voice to that, sure that if he did, Sir would have him stand once more. He understood why he was doing this. He had angered him, defied him and been disrespectful to him. This was his way of showing him his place. He knew that, it was his own fault if it was hard for him to accept it.

“Spread your legs,” Athos instructed, setting the paper aside. He turned in his chair toward Aramis and watched, waiting for him to comply.

Swallowing thickly, Aramis did as his Sir said and spread his legs as widely as the chair would allow. He did not want to do anything that might displease him, hoping his obedience would somehow make up for his earlier lapse.

Athos had to resist the urge to praise him. Aramis was still making amends for before after all. Instead, he nodded, letting him know he had done correctly. “Stroke your cock,” he said next. “Stop just before you come. I expect you to be hard around me, boy.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said softly, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them and looked at his Sir, taking in the intense look on his face as he reached down and took his softened cock in his hand. It did not take much to get him hard, the feel of Sir’s eyes on him coupled with the feel of the plug inside him working in concert.

Much sooner than he would have expected, Aramis had to stop. His balls were drawn up tight to his body and he could feel his orgasm gathering. His cock was flushed and leaking, the head a dark, angry red and he looked at Sir, hoping for his approval.

“Hmm. Close to coming already, slut?” Athos said as he reached forward and ran his hand up and down Aramis’ hard cock, letting his thumb rub over the head and press into his slit.

“Ye-yes, Sir,” Aramis gasped, his hips thrusting up into Sir’s hand helplessly. 

“Good boy,” Athos smiled, releasing Aramis and sitting back in his chair. 

They stayed out on the balcony for an hour. Every time Aramis’ erection began to wane, Athos made him stroke himself hard again, or reached over and did it for him. By the time he was ready to go back inside, Aramis was nearly panting and so aroused he could hardly see straight. Taking pity on him, Athos guided him back inside and sat him down on the bed. He handed him a bottle of water and had him drink it then sat down beside him, holding his hand until he was somewhat calm again.

“Musketeer,” Athos said.

Aramis turned his head to look at his lover. He felt the same wild mix of emotions he had earlier only now he was no longer muzzled. Still, something held him back. He carefully took his hand back from Athos' and got up from the bed. He went over to his clothes, picking up the ones he had on earlier and laying them aside. Instead, he put back on the ones he had worn the day before.

"I'll order us some lunch," Athos said quietly as he watched his lover. He felt a sickening sense of fear settle low and hot in his belly. This was not the reaction he had expected when calling a brief halt to things. He had merely wanted to check in with Aramis, to make sure everything was alright and to go over a few things before they continued. From his lover's actions, however, it was plain to see everything was far from alright.

Aramis said nothing. He simply sat at the small table in their room. Memories of the morning ran in a loop through his head, making him feel ashamed, guilty and angry in turn. Adding to that was the arousal he could not deny, making things even more confusing. He was not even sure if he should be ashamed of that or not and that just made it worse.

"So," Athos began as he sat down at the table across from him. He had wanted to sit beside him but thought Aramis might not appreciate such closeness right now. "I called a time out because I wanted to check in with you, to make sure you were still okay and go over a couple of things. From your reaction, I can only assume you're not."

"That's one way to put it," Aramis scoffed. He could feel his anger returning, Athos' calmness only making it worse for some reason.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" Athos asked, aware that Aramis may not actually be able to put what was upsetting him so much into words.

"Would it make a difference?" Aramis shot back.

"Of course it would," Athos replied, drawing back, the hurt in his voice unmistakeable. 

"It didn't before," Aramis challenged. 

"What are you talking about?" Athos asked, confused.

"I love you, Sir," Aramis spat angrily, his rage intensifying. "Does that ring any bells? You knew how I felt about that. How could you make me do that?"

Athos stared at his lover, understanding now what was driving Aramis' anger. He had not meant to push him like that. It had actually been an accident on his part, the command slipping out before he could stop himself. He had fully expected Aramis to refuse, or to safe word out, but he had done neither, complying with the request instead and making Athos come then and there. Now, however, his lover was demanding an answer as to why he had gone against his wishes. He had one, but he didn't think Aramis was going to like it.

"Well?" Aramis said testily when Athos failed to answer him.

Athos sighed and met his lover's angry eyes, preparing himself for the fight he knew was about to come. "Because you let me," he said evenly. 

"What?" Aramis gasped weakly as if all of the air had been sucked from his lungs.

"Because you let me," Athos repeated. "You could have refused. You could have used your safe word. You did neither of those things. You capitulated. I told you I was going to push you. You agreed. Were eager for it, even. Now you are angry because of it. You need to make up your mind. You either want to submit, want me to push you, or you don't. But if you decide you want this, then you don't get to pick and choose how I go about it."

"So even if something upsets me, you are free to use it against me anyway?" Aramis asked, chafing at his lover's rebuke. For Athos was right. He had agreed to this and he could have used his safe word at any time this morning. It was his choice not to. It was his choice to allow Athos to hurt him, both emotionally and physically. He'd had the power to stop him, he'd willfully chosen not to use it.

"Yes," Athos said. "I will attempt not to do so. I did not mean to do so today. I slipped. If you wish me to apologize for it, say so and I will."

Aramis studied his face and saw the honest sincerity there. Athos would apologize to him and mean it if he asked that of him. Aramis found himself somewhat disconcerted by the idea, though. As if Athos apologizing for his actions this morning was wrong in some way. 

Tearing his gaze away, Aramis looked across the room, unable to meet Athos' eyes. "No," he said softly.

"Alright," Athos said after a moment, surprised yet again. A knock at the door signaling the arrival of their lunch halted their conversation for the moment and he pushed back his chair to answer it. Aramis, however, was quicker, already up and on his way.

Lunch was as quiet as breakfast had been, though Athos did not feed Aramis this time. He wanted to, but they were still outside of the scene and he didn't think Aramis would allow it. He would have asked, but considering how volatile his lover's emotions appeared to still be, he thought it best not to. 

Once lunch was finished, Athos knew he could not delay their talk any longer. If they were going to continue, they needed to go over a few things. First things first though, and that was seeing if Aramis wanted to continue at all. Considering how upset he was it was quite likely that he would not. If that was the case then Athos would chalk it up to a one-time thing and not bring it up again. This type of thing was not for everyone and he was not going to force Aramis into something he truly did not want.

"Do you think we could talk now?" Athos asked him, leaving the decision up to Aramis.

"Ah, if you'd like," Aramis said, caught off guard by Athos' deference to him. 

"Okay. Well, I guess the first question is whether or not you want to continue," Athos said. "I'll understand if you don't. I have made several missteps with you and I know you are still rather angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you," Aramis said. "Well, alright, I am a bit. I'm more angry with myself I think. I...it's confusing and I'm still trying to sort it all out in my head but I am not angry at you like I was."

"That's quite a relief," Athos told him. "The very last thing I want to do is do damage to us. I will end this right now if there is even a chance of that."

"There isn't," Aramis assured him. "I was angry, yes. But even at my angriest, we would have talked it out. Nothing we do here is going to hurt us. We won't let it. And in answer to your question, yes, I would like to continue."

"Alright," Athos said, clearly relieved by his lover's reassurance. "Before we do, there are a couple of things I think we need to talk about."

"Sure," Aramis said then stood up. "Hold that thought for a minute."

"Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom," he replied. All the liquid Athos had been foisting on him was making his bladder ache.

"No," Athos said softly.

Aramis stopped and gaped at Athos, taking in his lover's quiet command. He knew right away that it was not Athos' command but rather Sir's. They were not in the scene. He was free to do as he pleased, yet Sir was asking him to obey him regardless. Without a word, Aramis sat back down at the table, confused and turned on and even more confused by that.

"Thank you," Athos said. 

"What...what did you want to talk about?" Aramis asked, trying to ignore both what had just happened and his rather insistent urge to pee. 

"A couple of things, though they are related. You may not have noticed, but you slipped very close to sub-space a couple of times during our scene. I wanted to ask you again if that was something you wanted to explore. If it is, then that's fine, we can do that. If not, then I will keep a careful watch and make sure to pull you up if you start to slip too far."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not altogether sure," Aramis admitted. "But I trust you and I would like to try it at least once."

"Alright. Are you sure you want to try it now?" Athos pressed, wanting to give Aramis one more out.

"Yes," Aramis said. "As you said, I was very close already. It seems a shame not to take advantage of that."

"Okay. I have to wonder," Athos continued as he watched the emotions play across Aramis' face, "if perhaps we have not both been holding back. I remember how you reacted in the shop at the mention of being restrained and beaten and I see how you react now. You do not need to hold yourself back, Aramis. You can let go. I am here and I will not let you fall."

"You're right," Aramis agreed. "I have been holding back, afraid of what you might think of me if I let my true desires show. And afraid of how much I want this, of how much I might come to want this still. But as you said, I am not the only one holding back. You can let go as well. I will stop you if you go too far."

"You didn't earlier," Athos reminded him.

"Because I thought it was something you needed," Aramis said. "And it didn't hurt me. Not truly. Though, what you did later, fucking me and with the plug, came close."

"Did I hurt you then?" Athos asked, worried.

"Some," Aramis admitted. "But not enough to stop you. You wanted to hurt me so I let you. If you had gone much further I would have stopped you."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Athos asked him one last time. "I won't ask again and if you tell me yes, I promise you I will not go easy on you. I will hurt you and humiliate you and use you in whatever way I wish for however long I wish."

"I love you and I'm sure," Aramis told him.

"I love you, too. Whenever you are ready to start again, get undressed," Athos told him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit more intense in this part.
> 
> Thanks to Snow_Glory for all of her help with this!!!

_"… Whenever you are ready to start again, get undressed…"_

Aramis sat for a moment more then stood up. He leaned down and kissed Athos then began undressed. Once he was naked again, he put his clothes away and came back to where Athos was sitting. He hesitated briefly then slid to his knees and bowed his head. 

Athos sat and simply took in the sight of Aramis on his knees, head bowed submissively, for him. He reached out, his hand shaking slightly, and carded his fingers through his hair, cradling his skull. “Good boy,” he whispered, awed by Aramis’ display and his willingness to put himself back into the proper headspace to go on.

“Sir?” he called out unsurely, his head still bowed.

“Yes, boy.”

“I really need to use the bathroom, Sir,” Aramis said, blushing blood red at having to state such an intimate thing, even to Athos.

“I would expect so after all the liquid you’ve drank this morning,” Athos remarked.

Aramis bit back a groan at the realization that Athos was going to make him ask. He was actually going to make him ask to go to the bathroom. Gritting his teeth and trying to force down the overwhelming humiliation, he made himself do it.

“Sir, may I use the bathroom?” Aramis asked as demurely as he could manage.

“No,” Athos replied earning a shocked gasp from Aramis. He felt the man tense under his hand but he did not try to raise his head and Athos was proud of him.

Aramis felt mortification roll through him like a wave. His stomach clenched painfully at Athos’ denial, knowing he would get no relief. He began to worry, unsure how much longer he could wait. He had needed to go quite badly before but had not wanted to ask. Now, it was worse yet Athos had refused him. He could not help but wonder just how long the man intended to refuse him for. 

“You’re doing so well,” Athos praised him. “You have no idea how beautiful you are like this. You have always been a beautiful man but like this, you are transcendent. You are so strong. It drives me to want to break you down, to see what it takes to make you weak so that I can help build you back up again. Do you want that, boy?”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis replied, his voice shaky. He did want that, but he was scared of it, too. To be broken in such a way was not something he had ever contemplated. It was not something he would ever allow. Except to Athos. Except to Sir. 

“Stay here,” Athos said as he got up and crossed the room. He returned quickly and sat back down. Tipping Aramis’ head up, he pressed a bottle of water to his lips. 

Aramis moaned as Sir poured more liquid into him. He did not want to drink more. He was already so full, his bladder painfully so. He had to go so badly and Sir was forcing even more into him. Yet he obediently opened his mouth and allowed him to pour the liquid inside, swallowing it down with only the one soft moan as protest.

“So good for me,” Athos praised. He set the bottle down and stroked Aramis’ face tenderly. He could read the desperation there and knew he was close to losing control of himself. That was good. That was what he wanted, his boy to utterly debase himself, losing control of his bodily functions as his owner took complete control of him.

Spreading his legs, Athos stroked over his hardening cock. The knowledge that Aramis was letting him control him like this was affecting him as well. “I think I want to feel my boy’s mouth on me again,” he said. 

The words had no more than left Sir’s mouth before Aramis was moving. He crawled between Sir’s spread legs and began unfastening his pants. When he made no move to rise so he could remove the garment, Aramis settled for simply pulling his hard cock out. Once it was free, he leaned forward and took it in his mouth, moaning softly as the taste of him exploded across his tongue.

Using Sir’s reactions to guide him, Aramis began sucking him. When he felt the hand at the back of his head press down, he opened his mouth and took him in as deeply as he could. He forced himself not to gag when he bumped against the back of his throat, swallowing around the intrusion instead and making Sir moan in approval.

When he felt the man’s hand tangle in his hair he knew he was doing well and concentrated on repeating what he had done, wanting to bring him as much pleasure as he could. He felt his own cock throb as he worked him but he ignored it just as he ignored the incessant ache in his lower back. They did not matter. All that mattered now was pleasing Sir.

He was concentrating so hard on pleasing Sir in fact that when the man’s bare foot pressed low against his belly he nearly yelped. He felt it let up for a moment then the touch returned even harder than before. Aramis tried to pull back, wanting to ask what was going on, but Sir’s hand suddenly fisted tightly in his hair stopping him and forcing his head back down on his cock. 

With a strangled sob, Aramis continued to suck him as Sir pressed against his stomach with is foot. He could feel his body clenching, trying not to lose control but he knew it was only a matter of time with Sir’s foot pressing on him. All the while, he continued to suck and lave the man’s cock, working it with his lips and tongue as he began to thrust into his mouth.

A short time later, Aramis felt the cock in his mouth start to swell then Sir was crying out, shoving his head down hard as he came, flooding his mouth with thick, salty come. At the same time, he dug his foot in hard, twisting it and causing Aramis to lose his fragile control.

With a muffled cry of his own, Aramis lost control and began to piss. He squeezed his eyes shut tight in abject mortification as he felt hot piss run down his legs to pool on the floor around him. He heard Sir gasp and knew he understood what had happened making his degradation that much greater as the rank smell of urine filled the room.

“Shhh,” Athos soothed as he held Aramis on his cock. He made him stay like that until he could no longer feel the man’s piss running down his foot. He could feel him shaking as he made him stay in position and knew it was not from any physical strain. Only when he was sure that Aramis was done did he let go of his head and allow him to sit back, his softened cock sliding from his mouth.

Aramis sat back slowly, his head bowed, eyes firmly glued to the piss-covered floor. His face felt like it was on fire and he could not imagine even looking in Sir’s direction after this. He had utterly disgraced himself, showing no more control than an untrained dog. He deserved whatever punishment Sir intended for him after this.

“Go and get a towel to clean up the floor,” Athos instructed. He made sure to keep his voice soft and free from any censure. He could tell Aramis was struggling with what he had made him do. A push in the right direction would help send him toward sub-space. A push too hard, however, could have the exact opposite effect.

Aramis rose on shaky legs and headed to the bathroom. He got the towel as Sir had instructed. He thought about cleaning himself up but Sir had not told him to so he did not. Instead, he went back out and knelt down next to the mess he had made. He was as thorough as possible, glad the hotel towels were as big as they were or it would not have been enough to clean everything up. As he worked, he kept his eyes trained on the floor, shying away from even glancing at Sir’s feet. He felt wholly unworthy of him and had no idea how he would begin making up for this lapse. Once the mess was cleaned up, Aramis was unsure what to do. He didn’t want to leave the piss stained towel for maid service to deal with but Sir had not given him permission to leave again.

“Bring the towel and come with me,” Athos said as he stood up. He could see he needed to do something to bring Aramis back around a bit before he spiraled completely out of control. Leading the way, he headed into the bathroom and began filling the over-sized bathtub.

“Put the towel in the hamper,” he instructed. 

“Sir?” Aramis questioned, hesitating. He really didn’t want to want to leave it for the maids to take care of. Not only was it rude but it would be horribly embarrassing for them to know.

“It’s alright,” Athos told him. “You are not the first person in this hotel to have such an occurrence. The employees here are paid very well to handle tasks outside the normal purview and to be exceedingly discrete about it. Now put the towel in the hamper.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis replied and did as he was told. He was still finding it impossible to look at Sir, which was difficult in the small confines of the bathroom. 

Athos watched him for a moment and considered just ordering him to look at him. He thought that might do more harm than good, though. Instead, he decided on a softer approach. “Undress me,” he said. It would make his boy look at him without forcing him to meet his eyes just yet.

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said resignedly. He stepped closer and began unbuttoning Sir’s shirt. He slipped it off then dropped to his knees to remove his pants and underwear. He could smell the piss that had soaked his pant leg and nearly gagged at the reminder. 

“Put them in the hamper as well,” Athos instructed once Aramis regained his feet. 

Both naked, Athos glanced at the tub and saw that it was mostly full. He shut off the taps and climbed in. Once he was settled, he spread his legs then motioned for Aramis to get in as well. “Lie back against him,” he said. “I want to feel you in my arms.”

Aramis bit back a choked sob at Sir’s words. He did not deserve to be held after what he had done but it was not his place to question Sir so he climbed into the tub and laid back against him. He felt the man’s arms come around him and tensed, unable to relax as he normally would.

“What’s wrong?” Athos asked, his lips against the shell of his ear.

“I don’t deserve to be here like this,” Aramis admitted. “I… what I did… I am so sorry, Sir…”

“Shhh,” Athos soothed. “No, love. You didn’t do anything wrong. You did exactly as I wanted you to. And you deserve to be wherever I say you do. It isn’t for you to decide what you deserve. That’s my job and I say you deserve to be here, in my arms, letting me hold you and bathe you.”

Aramis settled after that, allowing Athos to bathe him without further protest. He could feel himself becoming disconnected, like he was slowly floating away and frowned. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Would Sir be angry if he floated away or is that what he wanted? 

“Sir?” Aramis called tentatively as Athos began drying him off.

“Yes?”

“I feel…” he paused then, unsure how to describe what he was feeling without sounding like he was crazy.

“You feel what?” Athos asked. He stopped what he was doing and regarded Aramis carefully, putting a hand on his arm to steady him. From the way he hesitated, it was clear that whatever he was feeling was not normal for him.

“I…” Aramis tried again and failed to get the words out. He looked away, ashamed of himself for being unable to answer a simple question. He did not like disappointing Sir. He did not like that at all.

“It’s alright,” Athos told him. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. Just describe it however you’re able to.”

“It’s… it’s going away some now,” Aramis said. “But before, in the bath, I felt like I was… floating a bit. Like I was… disconnected from what was going on.”

“Okay,” Athos said rubbing his arm. “That’s good that you told me. I understand what it is you mean and it’s not anything bad or anything you did wrong so I don’t want you to worry about it.”

“Okay,” Aramis replied.

Once they were dried off, Athos took Aramis back into the other room and sat him down on the bed. He quickly dressed then sat down at the table to think. He still had a few things planned for his boy but he wasn’t sure now if he should go through with them. Aramis had come very close to slipping into sub-space in the bath. He could easily get him there now or he could bring him back down and attempt to get him there again later on. 

“Aramis, I need to ask you something,” Athos began, deciding he would at least attempt to get Aramis’ input before making a decision. He understood, however, that Aramis was rather compromised at the moment and may not be able to offer much. 

“Yes, Sir?”

“I would like to continue our day. I have some things planned for you, but they are somewhat strenuous. I’m not sure if you’re up to handling them. I need to know if you want to continue on as we have been or if you want me to work on ending the scene.”

“Is this because of what I said just now?” Aramis asked astutely. 

“Somewhat,” Athos replied. “It also has to do with how you reacted a little while ago.”

“You said I didn’t do anything wrong,” Aramis said, his voice small and suddenly insecure.

“And you didn’t,” Athos insisted. “But that does not mean you are up to continuing at the same level.”

“I thought we agreed that you would stop holding back.”

Athos sat back at his words and studied him. He could see the determination in his face, in the set of his shoulders. Aramis wanted to continue, that much was clear. Athos was not sure if it was for himself or solely for his own sake but he would respect him enough to take him at his word.

“Very well then,” he said decisively. “Get on the bed, face down with a pillow under your hips. I want your ass in the air.”

As Aramis moved to comply, Athos went to the bag of toys they had purchased earlier. He took out the vibrator and turned toward the bed. He paused for a moment and grabbed the penis gag as well before carrying both over to where Aramis waited, making sure he did not see them. It would not do, after all, to spoil the surprise.

Athos climbed onto the bed between Aramis' legs, giving him no choice but to spread them. He took a moment to admire the view, Aramis' firm ass pushed up and on display, the end of the plug clearly visible nestled between his cheeks. He grasped the end of it and tugged, making Aramis gasp then shoved it back in earning him a bitten off moan. Pleased with Aramis' reactions, he began to fuck him with the plug, pulling it back just enough so that his body would not lose its hold on it then thrusting it back into him as far as he could. 

"You like feeling me fuck you, don't you, boy?" Athos purred. "Is my come keeping you nice and slick inside?"

"Fuck," Aramis groaned. He had forgotten about that, forgotten that Athos had put the plug in him after coming inside of him, effectively sealing his come within him. 

"I think you like that," Athos taunted. "I think a slut like you would get off on having an ass full of come. Am I right, boy? Does it make your cock hard to know my come's inside you, that it's been inside you this whole time?"

"Please," Aramis gasped. He was both turned on and mortified by Athos' words and didn't know what to say.

"Answer me, slut!" Athos snapped as he shoved the plug in hard, pressing it up against Aramis' prostate and twisting it.

"Yes, Sir," Aramis cried out as sensations slammed through him. "Yes, Sir. I love it, Sir. I love it."

"Better," Athos said. He eased back on the plug giving Aramis a moment to collect himself. "I'm going to take the plug out for a minute. You are not to move when I do. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Aramis replied still breathing a bit heavily.

Gripping the plug by the base again, Athos carefully removed it, enjoying the sight of Aramis' hole stretching to accommodate it at its widest. He studied his hole for a moment, happy with the way it stayed open slightly, even reaching out to run his finger around the rim before plunging it inside.

Aramis had felt a sense of relief when Athos had finally removed the plug. He should have known it would be short-lived. He felt Athos' finger circling his stretched hole then that finger was shoving inside of him, so much hotter and better than any plug could be and he couldn't hold back his moan at the feel of it.

"Such a good slut," Athos chuckled. "So eager to be filled. You'll take anything, won't you? A plug. A finger. A cock. Don't worry, I'm going to fill you back up again. Wouldn't want my come to leak out after all."

Aramis felt a fresh wave of shame roll through him at Athos' crude words and tried to brace himself for having the plug put back in. He told himself it would be easier this time. He was stretched, after all, and he knew what to expect this time. Still, when it did come, he was surprised at just how easily it slid into him. 

Athos smiled down at Aramis, aware that he had no idea he had slid the vibrator inside of him rather than the plug. While the vibrator was not exactly small, it wasn't anywhere near as big as the wide part of the plug. Aramis was a bit too far gone to make such a distinction which was what Athos had been counting on. He waited a moment more, giving Aramis a chance to start wondering what lay in store for him then he switched the vibrator on low. 

The effect was instantaneous. Aramis' entire body went rigid and he shouted in surprise as the toy vibrated inside of him, sending shockwaves of sensation from his prostate all the way through him. He began to thrash on the bed, gasping as his body was stimulated beyond anything it had ever been before. His legs started to close automatically, but Athos gripped his thigh, preventing him. All Aramis could do was lay there and whimper as the vibrator buzzed inside of him, making his cock feel like it was ready to explode at any second.

Still holding Aramis' leg with one hand, Athos grabbed the end of the toy with the other and began to move it in and out of Aramis. He was rewarded with a keening moan, the likes of which he had never heard from his lover before. He wished now he had gotten the one that could be set for random vibrations, though he was not sure Aramis could handle that at the moment. As it was, he did not think he would last long when he turned this one up to high.

Deciding there was no time like the present, Athos grinned evilly and flipped the switch on the end of the vibrator. The buzzing of the toy intensified causing Aramis to go completely still. A second later he was crying out and bucking wildly against the pillow beneath him.

Aramis had a second to realize that Athos had turned the thing inside him to a higher setting before his mind whited out and pure instinct took over. He roared as he began to thrust his hips, desperate to come regardless of the consequences. This was so much more than he was prepared to take, so much more than he had ever thought possible and he simply did not know how to process it all. 

As worked up as he was, as he had been all day, it did not take much more to push Aramis over the edge. Grinding down hard, he felt his release coil within him, hot and tight, then it was pulsing out of him in long, thick ropes of come that stained the pillow beneath him.

"Athos!" Aramis shouted as he began to come, forgetting everything in that blinding moment. He pushed back hard against the thing inside him then ground down again, his entire self reduced to nothing but a mindless, rutting animal.

Athos stared, shocked at Aramis for his complete lapse. He could forgive the orgasm. He had been steadily pushing him toward it all day, after all. But forgetting himself enough to use his name? Again? That would need to be dealt with. Harshly. 

He turned the vibrator off but did not remove it. He was glad now he had brought the gag over with him. It meant he would not have to leave to go get it. He gave Aramis a few minutes to calm down. He wanted him thinking again before he did anything. He wanted him to realize what he had done.

When Aramis groaned, Athos knew it was almost time. He picked up the gag and checked the straps making sure it was ready for use. When Aramis suddenly stilled, Athos knew his senses had fully returned and with them his memory of what he had just done. 

Leaning forward, he grabbed Aramis by the hair and jerked his head back as far as it would go causing him to cry out in a combination of surprise and pain. With his free hand he shoved the gag in his mouth then let go of his hair and quickly buckled it into place.

"If you can't remember a simple fucking command then I don't want to hear your voice, you fucking whore," he snarled at him. 

Aramis cringed at the anger in Sir's words. He could not believe he had slipped like that. He had been told several times how he was to address the man and still he screwed it up. Now Sir was livid with him. He wanted to apologize, to get down on his knees and kiss Sir's feet and beg for another chance but he couldn't. Sir had made it so he couldn't even say he was sorry. 

Athos sat back and looked over Aramis. He was shaking slightly but Athos didn't know if it was due to overstimulation or reaction to his anger. He didn't think he had actually scared Aramis. The man knew he would not hurt him, not in any lasting way. In any event, he would need to be mindful of all of Aramis' reactions.

He gave him a minute to settle again then turned on the vibrator once more. He did not bother with low this time, turning it on its highest setting. He heard Aramis scream into the gag and was glad he had opted for the penis gag. Not only would Aramis find it the most humiliating but it tended to block sounds the best. 

He saw Aramis try to move his leg again and grabbed it quickly. He slammed it back into place then grabbed the base of the toy and began fucking Aramis with it, shoving it in and out of his ass at a brutal pace. He knew his lover had to be sensitive. He always was after he came but Athos didn't care. Aramis had screwed up and he would pay the price for it. If that meant getting fucked until he was delirious then so be it.

Aramis couldn't stop the scream that was ripped from him. His entire body felt like a jolt of electricity was running through it. His ass ached and throbbed from the abuse it had taken all day and now Sir was fucking him with what felt like a cattle prod. He tried to call out to Sir, to tell him that it was too much, that he could not take it, but the horrid gag would not let him.

Athos could hear Aramis alternating between simply screaming, calling out Sir and trying to speak around the gag. "What's that?" He taunted as he shoved the vibrator in viciously, making sure to press it up against his prostate. "I'm afraid I can't understand you." 

As Sir's continued to torment him, something inside of Aramis broke. He could not take this. He simply could not. The gag in his mouth made him want to choke and his ass was on fire. Every muscle in his body was screaming as he constantly tightened them, trying to endure the never-ending onslaught. He had promised he would use his safe word if things became too much for him. It was time for him to keep that promise.

There was only one problem with that. The gag Sir had shoved in his mouth and secured around his head prevented him. He screamed again, this time in frustration, then sobbed as he realized that he actually couldn't call a halt to things. Not gagged as he was. He was completely at Sir’s mercy. 

The fact that he was not bound, not tied in any way, never even occurred to Aramis. In his current state, he did not realize that all he had to do was push himself up. He could even reach up and unbuckle the gag himself. It was not locked in place. Yet he did none of these things. He stayed where he was put and he took what Sir gave him. 

He heard Aramis sob into the gag then and laughed out loud satisfied when he cringed again. He knew he could not keep this up for too long. It would truly become torturous after a while, his body transforming the overstimulation to actual pain. He thought he could continue for a bit longer, though. 

As he continued to fuck him, varying his movements so Aramis never knew what to anticipate next, he watched him. He saw when the fight started to bleed out of him, his struggles lessening, his wild thrashing dying down. He could still hear him sobbing intermittently and trying to call out Sir around the gag as well as whatever else he kept trying to say but he was no longer screaming and the edge of hysteria had left him.

Satisfied that his lover was well and truly subdued, Athos turned the vibrator down to low. He didn't want to jar him too badly by simply turning it off and taking it out. He left it on low for a full minute then turned it off but left it inside him while he took up the plug. Reaching over to the bedside table, he grabbed the lube and slicked it liberally, not wanting to hurt Aramis when he put it back inside him. His boy was going to be tender enough as it was.

When he removed the vibrator, Aramis didn't move. Athos expected him to try to pull away when he placed the plug back at his hole but he stayed put, only letting out a soft whine to indicate he even realized what was about to happen. Taking advantage of Aramis' docility, Athos pushed the plug in, not stopping until it slid neatly into place. Satisfied, Athos gathered the vibrator and carried it into the bathroom. He set it in the sink to be washed then went back into the other room.

He was both pleased and slightly concerned to see that Aramis had not moved at all. He had not even attempted to close his legs. Athos chalked it up to how adamant he had been about him keeping them open as he did not appear to be in any distress. 

"Can you stand, boy?" He asked from the side of the bed.

Unable to speak to answer Sir's question, he forced himself up onto his hands and knees. He felt shaky all over, as if he might collapse at any minute, but that did not matter. Sir would not have asked such a question if he did not want him to get up. He managed to get to his feet without embarrassing himself and waited.

"Go clean yourself up in the bathroom," Athos told him. "Clean the toy in the sink as well. When you're done, you can change the bedding you soiled."

Aramis nodded and walked stiffly toward the bathroom. He tried not to look at the hateful toy in the sink as he cleaned himself up. He made sure to get all of the come off is stomach as well as the sweat he had worked up under Sir's hands. Once he was clean, he forced himself to clean the toy, making sure to do a thorough job of it, not wanting to displease Sir again.

When Aramis emerged from the bathroom, he found Sir sitting at the table drinking a bottle of water. It made Aramis think of how thirsty he was but he ignored it. Instead, he went to the bed and began stripping off the soiled bedding. He placed it with the other laundry and remade the bed. When he was finished, he walked over to where Sir sat and slid to his knees next to him.

Athos was a bit surprised by Aramis' willing submission. He had expected a bit of rebellion after what he had just put him through. The Aramis that was kneeling next to him, however, was anything but rebellious. Athos let his hand come to rest on his head and stroked him. He felt him shudder at his touch and frowned, unsure of the cause. Sometimes he could read Aramis like a book and sometimes he needed to see the man's face in order to do so. Unfortunately, this time was one of the latter.

"How about I take this off of you and we rest for a little bit," Athos said, tapping lightly on the gag.

Aramis didn't bother to nod, not thinking his input was actually being sought. He really did want the gag out but if Sir wanted him to wear it then he would. He was not sure how he would do things like ask for a drink of water or go the bathroom but then again the last time he'd had to go the bathroom Sir had made him piss himself so perhaps that wasn't a concern after all.

Athos was beginning to grow worried. He knew Aramis was down pretty far but even that did not account for the way he was acting at the moment. Unsure what else to do, he quickly undid the buckles holding the gag in place and gently pulled it free of Aramis' mouth. Setting it on the table, he rubbed the other man's jaw, hoping to relieve any strain having the gag in might have caused. 

"Aramis?" Athos called softly when the man kept his head bowed.

"Yes, Sir," Aramis croaked, his voice strained and hoarse from screaming.

"Here," Athos said quickly as he lifted his chin and pressed the bottle of water to his lips. "Drink this."

Aramis did as he was told, sipping the liquid Sir poured into his mouth. It stung as he swallowed it but he didn't say anything, merely drinking until Sir pulled the bottle away again. He was not sure why Sir was being so kind to him now when he had been so angry before. Surely he had not earned his forgiveness as easily as all that. 

"Why don't we rest for a little bit like I said," Athos suggested as he stood up. He reached down and took Aramis by the arm, pulling him to his feet. He was alarmed by how shaky the man was and berated himself for sending him to the bathroom and making him change the bed without checking him better first. 

When Athos led him over to the bed, he felt Aramis pause and looked at him. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, Sir," Aramis said and quickly moved to get onto the bed once more.

"It's just to rest, Aramis, I promise," Athos said, understanding what it was that made Aramis hesitate.

"Whatever you want, Sir," Aramis said demurely. 

Athos knew that something was wrong. Aramis was down entirely too far and wherever he was, was not a happy, safe place. In fact, it appeared to be the exact opposite with Aramis saying and doing whatever he thought might appease him so that Athos would not hurt him anymore. 

Their safe word was on the tip of Athos' tongue yet he held back. Aramis had asked for this, had asked for him to take off the leash as it were and he had done so. He had told Athos to trust in him to safe word if it became too much. Athos had agreed and now he needed to honor that agreement. But it was clear that something had gone wrong. Very wrong from the looks of things and Athos felt an icy hand of fear grip his heart.

With shaking hands Athos undressed down to his boxers, wanting Aramis to feel as much of his skin as possible. He would have undressed entirely but did not want to give the man the wrong idea. He had told him this was just to rest and he had meant to. He got into the bed and laid down on his back. He reached over and pulled Aramis to him until the other man was pressed against his side, his head pillowed on Athos' chest. 

He could feel the tension in the other man and it scared him. Aramis should not be tense in his arms, not in so unthreatening a situation. Not after Athos had made it clear they were only going to rest. The fact that he was made alarm bells go off in Athos’ head and he tightened his arm around Aramis. 

“Aramis. Sweetheart. I need you to come back to me a little bit,” Athos said softly, hoping to draw Aramis back out of wherever he had gone to in his head. He didn’t want to safe word with Aramis like this, afraid of that jerking him out of the scene so abruptly might do even more damage.

“I have not left you, Sir,” Aramis replied, his voice equally soft. 

“I think you have a little bit,” Athos said. “But that’s not your fault, Sweetheart. It’s mine. I wasn’t paying enough attention again and I let you slip too far. I need you to come back up now, though. You don’t have to come back all the way if you don’t want to, but I need you to come back a little bit. Can you do that for me? Please.”

Aramis didn’t understand why Sir was acting like this now, why he was calling him Sweetheart and saying please to him. He didn’t understand why Sir was asking him to come back either. He had not gone anywhere. He was right there beside him. He could not leave if he wanted to. Not without Sir’s permission. He was acting like he was afraid of something and Aramis had no idea what.

“Aramis?” Athos whispered when the other man said nothing.

“Why are you doing this?” Aramis asked, the questions inside of him too great to contain. 

“Why am I doing what, Sweetheart?”

“This?” Aramis asked, his voice rising in exasperation. “Calling me Sweetheart. Saying please to me as if I have the ability to deny you anything. I don’t understand.”

Athos swallowed down the sudden surge of panic Aramis’ words invoked. This was getting out of hand quickly. Aramis wasn’t responding to him at all, he wasn’t coming back to him and Athos was afraid. 

“Aramis, do you remember your safe word?” Athos asked, hoping talking about the mechanics of the scene would reinforce to Aramis that it had been just that, a scene and he needed to come back now.

“It doesn’t work,” came the soft reply.

Athos lay there, stunned. He had no idea why Aramis thought his safe word would not work and right then he didn’t care. “Musketeer,” he said firmly, calling a halt to the scene. He was no longer worried about ending things too abruptly for Aramis, more concerned with the damage leaving him in the scene any longer might do.

Aramis sucked in a breath and went rigid at Athos’ side. He felt nauseous as everything struggled to right itself in his head at once. After long minutes, he realized what Athos had been trying to tell him, that he had slipped down too far and that he needed to come back up. Aramis, however, had no real idea how to do that so he had stayed firmly where he was.

“Aramis? Aramis, please say something,” Athos begged beside him. He could feel how stiff Aramis was and wanted to comfort him but he wasn’t sure if he should. He wasn’t sure if his lover would welcome his touch right now. 

“I’m alright,” Aramis said after a moment as he tried to force himself to relax.

“Oh fuck, Aramis, I’m sorry,” Athos gasped as he started to shake. He had no idea what to do. Did he stay close? Did he move away? What did Aramis need from him right now? And was Aramis even all the way back? 

“Athos, I’m fine,” Aramis said a little more firmly, wrapping his arm around the other man’s stomach and holding him back finally. He could feel him shaking and knew he had scared him badly just then. He hadn’t meant to do that but he wasn’t altogether sure what he had done that was so worrisome.

“Fine?” Athos parroted hysterically. He rolled over onto his side so they were facing each other, needing to be able to see Aramis’ face. “You are not fine. I… I couldn’t get you back. You went away and it wasn’t anyplace good and I couldn’t get you back. And then you said your safe word didn’t work…”

“Oh,” Aramis said, understanding now at least one of the things that had spooked Athos so badly.

Athos stared at Aramis, reading a great deal in his eyes. There was something to that comment, something more than simply Aramis being too far down and just thinking his safe word would not work. “Tell me,” Athos said. “Please.”

Aramis took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no way around this conversation, not if he ever wanted to have something like this again with Athos. They were going to have to talk about it, about what went right and about what went wrong. Luckily there wasn’t much that had gone wrong but what had, had been serious. 

“We need to talk,” Aramis said then cringed at his choice of words. “Let me take a shower and get dressed, okay?”

“Of course,” Athos said, fighting back a wave of fear at Aramis’ words. ‘We need to talk’ was never what a man wanted to hear from his lover. Those words never boded well. Most of the time, if it wasn’t the actual end of the relationship, it heralded the beginning of it.

“Hey,” Aramis said when he saw the sick look that passed over Athos’ face. “It’s nothing like that. I promise. We just need to go over everything, that’s all I meant. I know you’ve got concerns about what happened at the end and we need to talk about them. I am not leaving you. Not now. Not ever.”

Athos pulled him into his arms then and held him as tightly as he could. “Fuck, ‘Mis,” he whispered into neck. “I love you so fucking much. If I lost you it would kill me.”

“You’re never going to lose me,” Aramis vowed. “Now let me get a shower and then we can talk.”

“Yeah, okay,” Athos said as he reluctantly let him go.

“Ah, I do need you to do something for me,” Aramis said before the other man could move off the bed.

“What is it?”

“Can you take the plug out?” Aramis asked, amazed that he could still blush over something like that after everything they had done.

“Fuck! I forgot,” Athos said. “Yeah. Um, just… spread your legs for me. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

“Athos, relax,” Aramis said. “I know you won’t hurt me.”

Athos took a breath to calm himself then moved between Aramis’ spread legs. He took hold of the base of the plug and removed it as carefully as he could. Aramis’ hiss of pain felt like a kick in the stomach and Athos had to bite down on the apology that sprang to his lips. He knew Aramis didn’t want to hear it right now. No, right now all the man wanted was to feel clean again.

Aramis laid where he was for a minute, enjoying the feeling of finally having the plug out of him. It felt almost foreign not to have something inside him after so long but it felt good too. He had a feeling his insides were a bit bruised but it was only a minor discomfort and he could easily handle it. 

Getting to his feet, he took the plug from Athos’ lax hands. “I’ll clean it after I get out of the shower,” he said at the man’s questioning look. 

Athos couldn't help but worry still as he watched Aramis disappear into the bathroom. It wasn't that he didn't believe him but there was a great deal of middle ground between a psychologically damaging scene and leaving for good. While Aramis did not seem to be in any emotional distress now, the same thing could not be said for a short while ago. Something had gone wrong. Whether with the scene itself or just in Aramis' head, Athos wasn't sure. It didn't matter either way. The damage was done. It was now up to him to figure out what that was and help Aramis through it.

In the shower, Aramis took a deep breath as the hot water pounded on his back. His entire body ached which was not surprising given how hard Athos had worked him all day. The physical aches were not the problem. He did not mind the pain. It was the sense of helplessness he was struggling with. The thing was, he trusted Athos. Completely. He should not be bothered by one small miscalculation. He had not been hurt. He didn't understand why he was having such a hard time with this and that was upsetting him even more.

On top of that, he was somehow supposed to go back out there and explain himself. How as he supposed to do that without making Athos feel as if he'd done something wrong? Athos hadn't done anything wrong. Aramis was the one who had screwed up. Athos shouldn't be made to feel guilty for his inability to cope.

Knowing he could not put it off forever and not wanting Athos to come looking for him, Aramis turned off the shower and got out. He dried off, then took his time cleaning the plug he had dropped in the sink. With nothing else to keep him in the bathroom, he walked back out to where Athos was waiting. He paused when he saw sweats and a t-shirt laid out on the bed and turned to his lover.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted to wear but thought you'd prefer something comfortable," Athos explained.

"Thank you," Aramis said. He slowly dressed, mindful of the other man's gaze. He knew he should probably be saying something, that his silence was likely worrying Athos, but he was at a loss.

As Aramis slowly pulled on the clothes he had laid out, Athos got to his feet and walked over to the bed where he stood. He gripped his arm and squeezed it gently. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me," he said. He could see that Aramis was struggling with something and could not simply sit by and watch.

"I really don't think I can," Aramis laughed broken lay. He ran his hand through his damp hair and started when Athos caught it, turning him around.

"Why can't you tell me?" Athos asked as he scanned his face intently.

"I'm afraid," Aramis said, his cheeks flushing at the admission.

"You know you never have to be afraid of me, 'Mis."

"I know," Aramis said, his voice so much smaller than before. “I just… I don’t…”

"Would it be easier if I took you back down a little bit?" Athos asked carefully. "Not all the way. Not like before. Just some, so all you have to worry about is being a good boy?"

Aramis studied him then turned his head and licked his hips. He swallowed and gave a jerky nod, the only answer he could give at the moment. He knew this would be the only way he could do this. He was just too worried about hurting Athos to be able to do otherwise.

"Okay, Sweetheart," Athos said softly. "Let's get you back out of those clothes and we'll lay down in the bed together. Do you want to keep your underwear on this time? You can if you want to."

"No, Sir," Aramis replied shaking his head.

"Okay. That's good. I like you naked. You're so beautiful, I can never look at you enough." Athos undressed back down to his own underwear then paused. "Do you want me to keep mine on or take them off, too?"

"Oh," Aramis said, surprised by the question. He thought for a moment then ducked his head bashfully. "Off?"

"Alright." Athos quickly shed his underwear and pulled back the blanket on the bed. He climbed in and held the blanket up for Aramis, helping him to get settled against his side, his head pillowed on his chest, before covering them both. He made sure they were touching from head to foot, hoping the skin to skin contact would help to both ground Aramis and make him feel safe. He didn't like the thought of his lover being afraid of him, even just of telling him something. Aramis should never feel fear where he was concerned. 

Athos didn't say anything at first, simply laying in bed with Aramis tucked against his side. It was such a relief to feel him relaxed in his arms rather than lying tense and stiff like he had earlier. He wanted to give him a few more minutes to relax into the feeling, to settle into it and hopefully start to feel safe again before they started going back over their day.

"Are you feeling better?" Athos asked after a few minutes. Aramis was completely relaxed at his side and he knew he was as ready as he was likely to get.

"Yes, Sir," Aramis replied, his voice thick, like he was just waking up.

"Are you tired?" Athos asked. 

"Not really," Aramis replied. "My body is fatigued but I am not sleepy."

"Are you hurting anywhere?"

"Only a general soreness, though I am not sure if I could endure having the plug back in me right now."

"No, Sweetheart," Athos said quickly. "No more plug. Not today."

"Thank you, Sir."

Athos had to close his eyes for a moment at the wave of emotions that crashed over him. That Aramis would thank him for not causing him undue pain was not something he had expected. It seemed that when his lover was down, he was willing to allow a greater level of physical abuse than Athos had anticipated.

"Are you still scared to talk to me?" Athos asked him, watching his face as carefully as he could from their respective positions. 

"A...a bit," Aramis replied. 

"You know you don't have anything to be scared of, right? It's just me and you don't ever have to be scared of me," Athos tried again. "Tell you what. How about if I walk us back through everything we did today and you can tell me what you thought about each thing? Can you do that? Can you talk to me about the things we did and tell me if you liked them or not and why?"

Aramis hesitated then looked up at Sir. He saw the look of concern on his face and took a deep breath. Sir was being so nice to him now, so gentle, he almost didn't know what to make of it. It confused him even as it made him feel warm and safe inside. It was a strange combination of feelings.

"Sweetheart?"

"Yes, Sir," Aramis said. "I can... I can do that if you want me to." 

"Thank you," Athos said. He lifted Aramis' hand and kissed it gently. "You always make me so proud. I don't think I tell you that enough but you do. And you made me so very, very proud today. I couldn't have asked for a better boy. You were perfect for me."

"I..."

"It's alright," Athos said when Aramis tried to talk but couldn't. "Let's start at the beginning. How did you like being kept naked?"

"I didn't mind," Aramis said a bit shyly. "When I thought you were going to make me answer the door that way... I should have trusted you more."

"To be fair, you had no way to know that I wouldn't make you do that. You were right to be apprehensive," Athos told him. "And the thing that pleased me the most about that, was that you were going to do it anyway."

"Yes, Sir." Aramis felt his cheeks heating again at the memory of nearly being made to answer the door totally naked. The fact that he had pleased Sir, however, was worth the momentary embarrassment, both then and now. 

"What did you think of the toy shop?" Athos asked. He remembered Aramis' initial reaction to the place but he had settled down quickly enough.

"It was a lot to take in," he said, not wanting to admit how intimidating he had found it.

"You got used to it fairly quickly."

"Because you gave me something else to think about, Sir," he explained.

Athos thought for a minute then grinned. "You seemed to like that idea, too."

"I... I still do," Aramis said softly, blushing again. He would have thought, after everything, that just talking about being beaten would no longer make him blush. Apparently not.

"That's good to know," Athos said. "Thank you for telling me, Sweetheart. Would you like to go shopping there again some time?"

"Can we do it together? Pick stuff out together?" Aramis asked hesitantly, not sure how much Sir was willing to indulge him.

"Of course," Athos replied. "Though I may still make you pick one or two things out on your own just to see what you come up with."

"That's fine, Sir. Thank you."

"So how did you like your plug? I know that was very new for you." Athos knew they were getting into trickier territory now and gauged Aramis' responses carefully.

"It was different," he said, unsure how to put his feelings into words. "I could never forget it was there. Every time I breathed, I felt it."

"Okay. So, for right now, you're not sure if you liked it or merely tolerated it," Athos nodded then thought for a moment. "I think I need to back us up a bit. I think I skipped over something important that we need to talk about. Do you know what I'm referring to?"

"Yes, Sir," Aramis whispered. "But we don't have to talk about it, Sir. We don't have to. I won't be bad like that again."

"Sweetheart, no. Calm down," Athos soothed. "Nothing bad is going to happen no matter what you say to me."

"I don't want to make you angry, Sir."

"You won't," Athos assured him. "I wanted to fuck you before I put the plug in. You were fine with everything, even how rough I was, right up until I made you tell me you loved me. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"If it upset you so much, why didn't you use your safe word or just not do it?" Athos asked. He was careful to keep any censure from his voice, displaying only honest curiosity. They had discussed this briefly before when they taken their brief break but Athos thought there might be more to it and wanted to go over it again.

"You would not have asked me for it if you didn't need it in some way," Aramis said, sounding much more like himself than he had been.

"And yet you still grew angry."

"Because I had betrayed Athos."

Athos paused for a moment, letting that statement sink in. He was amazed at the way Aramis could differentiate between the two sides of him in his mode. It was almost as if Sir and Athos were two entirely separate people.

"Do you want to know a secret?" Athos asked suddenly.

"Sir?"

"When I came, it was because you said that, because you told me...told Sir...that you loved him."

"Oh... I..."

"What?"

"I didn't think it mattered to you," Aramis said quietly.

"You didn't think Sir loved his boy because he didn't say the words," Athos said sadly. "I'm so sorry I made you think that, Sweetheart. That was never my intent."

"S-s-sir..."

"Shh. Easy. Now. We can talk about that more later," Athos said, not wanting him to get overwhelmed. "Let's get back to our day. Okay?"

"Okay," Aramis said. "But...can we not talk about...about when you slapped me?"

"You don't think we should talk about that?" Athos asked him. "Are you sure? You seem kind of upset about it now."

"I deserved it," Aramis said. He felt ashamed all over again for his actions that had prompted Sir to do that and he didn't want to so much as think about it let alone have to discuss it.

''Alright," Athos relented. "We'll skip it for now, but we will be talking about it at some point."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Tell me what you thought about the balcony then," Athos said, hoping to draw Aramis' mind away from whatever was troubling him so much. He didn't think it was the fact that he had slapped him. He had done that before and in public no less. 

"It was...humiliating is the only word I can think of," Aramis chuckled softly. "I kept expecting someone to see me. And then you kept making me touch myself..."

"Was it being out in the open that made you get hard so fast each time?" Athos asked him.

"That and the plug. I could feel it pressing up inside of me. It was like having a cock inside me, moving every time I moved. It all made me feel so wanton, like I was on display for you."

"You were," Athos smiled. "I couldn't get enough of the sight of you, your legs spread wide, your cock hard and flushed. If I hadn't just come I would have fucked you then and there."

"Oh, Sir..."

"You like that idea? You like the thought of me fucking you out on the balcony?"

"I... I like the thought of you fucking me out on our balcony...back at home," Aramis said, his words growing quieter as he spoke. He wasn't sure how Sir would take such a suggestion and was scared he might have asked for too much.

"You would want that?" Athos asked, stunned. As much as he wanted to pursue this there were other things they needed to discuss first. "Don't answer that. Let's put that aside for right now. We can come back to that later. Suffice it to say that I would not be opposed to the idea either. Now, is there anything you'd like to ask me about or should I just keep going as I have been?"

"Actually, there is something I'm confused about," Aramis ventured.

"What is it?" Athos urged, encouraged that Aramis was starting to open up a little bit on his own now.

"Why did you make me wet myself?" He asked.

"Do you remember what I said about what I wanted, why I wanted to do this?"

"That you wanted to control me," Aramis replied.

"That's why. I wanted to control you to such a degree that even your bodily functions were mine to do with as I pleased. And I wanted to humiliate you, to utterly debase you. By forcing you to lose control, to piss all over yourself, and me, I made you feel ashamed to even look at me.

"And the absolute best part about that, is that you loved it. You loved that feeling of shame that rolled through you when you lost control. You loved that feeling of shame when I made you mop up your own piss. You loved that feeling of shame when I had to take you into the bathroom and bathe you like a child. Didn't you?"

"Yes, Sir," Aramis gasped. "Oh yes, Sir." He had felt that same hot flush of shame as Athos had talked, heating up his face and chest. If he had not just come a short while ago he was sure his cock would be rock hard from the memories alone.

"My boy likes being debased," Athos purred as he tipped Aramis' head up and kissed him deeply. 

Aramis returned the kiss eagerly, relishing in the knowledge that he was bringing Sir pleasure. He felt his cock try to stir and gasped at the unexpected pain that shot through him, his overtaxed body unable to cope with any more. He did not break the kiss, though. He would much rather endure the discomfort than pull away and deny his owner.

“Are you alright?” Athos asked a few minutes later when he finally released Aramis’ mouth.

“Yes, Sir. Just sore,” he replied.

“My boy isn’t accustomed to being used so hard,” Athos said, smiling at him as he did so.

“No, Sir,” Aramis said smiling back before adding hesitantly, “we’ll have to work on conditioning me. Your boy should be able to take whatever you wish him to.”

“Aramis…” Athos groaned. He pictured doing just that in his mind, conditioning Aramis, building up his tolerance. He felt his own cock jerk hard at the thought and had to forcibly pull his thoughts away.

“I know the jury’s still out on the plug, but what did you think of the vibrator?” Athos asked, trying to get their conversation back on track.

Aramis frowned and turned his face away, trying to think of how to put his feelings into words. He didn’t want to disappoint Sir and this was coming very close to something he didn’t want to talk about at all.

“Aramis?” Athos prodded when he failed to respond. “I know it made you come. Is it because you called out my name when you did? I told you, Sweetheart, nothing you say here is going to make me angry at you.”

Aramis took a deep breath and tightened his arm around Sir’s waist. “That’s part of it,” he began. “I didn’t mean to do that, Sir. Not either one. I wasn’t trying to disobey you.”

“I know you weren’t. It surprised you and you forgot.”

“Yes.”

“So what about after that when I put the gag in and used it to punish you?”

“I… It…” Aramis tried to think of something to say but all he could remember was how much it had hurt and how badly he had wanted it to stop.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Athos soothed when he felt Aramis tense up and start to tremble. “Sweetheart, please. You’re starting to scare me here.”

“It hurt,” Aramis said softly, his eyes squeezed shut. As soon as the first words were out the rest quickly followed, pouring from him in a flood. “It hurt so bad, Sir. It-it-it was hard to take on low but when you turned it up, it was excruciating. A-a-and not just there, inside me, it made me hurt everywhere, like… like a live wire was being held against me.”

“Oh God,” Athos moaned. He had not realized Aramis had been in such pain from the onset. He never would have kept going if he had. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you use your safe word?”

Aramis froze at Sir’s anguished question. He had tried. He had tried so hard but it had not worked. And that had scared Aramis and then made him feel guilty for his lack of trust. 

“Oh no. Oh no. Oh fuck!” Athos gasped. Of course Aramis hadn’t used his safe word. He couldn’t. The gag Athos had shoved in his mouth had seen to that. He felt tears sting his eyes and then roll down his cheeks as he realized that was what he had been trying to say around the gag – Musketeer. No wonder he had ended up where he had, thinking his safe word didn’t work. The one and only time he had needed it to, it hadn’t.

“Sir? I’m sorry…”

“Don’t,” Athos snarled angrily, unable to bear hearing Aramis attempt to apologize for this.

Aramis jerked back from Sir, his eyes going wide. The shaking that had begun to calm intensified once more and Aramis once again felt an overwhelming surge of helplessness. He didn’t know what to do. Sir had promised he wouldn’t be angry but he clearly was. Aramis felt that horrible sense of failure again and it made his stomach knot painfully.

“No, no, no. Sweetheart, no,” Athos said, forcing his anger aside as he pulled Aramis back down against him. He could feel him outright shaking now and felt like even more of a monster. Hadn’t he traumatized his lover enough already? “I’m not angry at you. I’m upset at myself for hurting you.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Aramis said at once.

“Yes, it was,” Athos argued as gently as he could, mindful of Aramis’ emotional state. “I was supposed to protect you or at least make sure you could protect yourself. When I gagged you, I took that away. That’s why you said you safe word didn’t work, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I am so sorry I hurt you,” Athos said as sincerely as he could.

“You didn’t mean to.”

“Aramis…” Athos paused, a thought occurring to him. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you try to get up when your safe word didn’t work? Or reach back and undo the gag?”

Aramis sucked in a breath as the reality of what Athos was asking sank in.  He had been so lost in his head, so lost in his submission to Sir, that he had not realized he could simply get up or remove the gag preventing him from using his safe word himself.  To know that all of this could have been so easily avoided if he had only thought for a moment was like a lead weight in his stomach and he cringed.  "I... I forgot that I could," he admitted softly, his face heating in shame that was anything but pleasant now.  
   
"You were so far under you didn't realize...  You thought the only recourse open to you was your safe word and I had taken that from you as well," Athos said, self reproach coloring his words.  "I am so sorry, Sweetheart.  I swear I  never meant to hurt you like that."  
   
"It's not your fault, Sir," Aramis told him.  "If I wasn’t so stupid I would have realized I could just..."  
   
"Stop that right now," Athos said firmly.  "I don't ever want to hear you talk about yourself like that.  Do you understand me?"  
   
"Yes, Sir," Aramis quickly replied.  
   
"We both made mistakes but I will not hold you accountable for being unable to think rationally during that time.  I was supposed to be taking care of you and I failed in that.  Are you... are you hurt very badly?"  
   
"No.  I'm sore, that's all.  My whole body feels strained to one degree or another but nothing overly so," Aramis said.  "You did not hurt me."  
   
"We were lucky then," Athos replied darkly.  
   
"Please tell me how to fix this," Aramis whispered.    
   
"Aramis..."  
   
"I don't want to lose everything we shared here and I know if I don't find a way to fix this then we will never do this again," Aramis said, his voice low and urgent.  "It was not without its hiccups but none of them were overly bad and we will know better for next time.  Please, Sir.  Please don't take this away from us.  Please don't take it away from me.  Your boy... he needs this, I think."  
   
Athos tipped Aramis' chin up so he could look at him.  He read the worry and the hope in his eyes and knew then that he would have to find a way to put this behind them, for Aramis' sake if for no other reason.  His lover so rarely asked for anything for himself but he was asking for this and Athos would not deny him.  "I won't take it away," Athos assured him.  "But we will be talking about this more later on.  And I don't think we'll be using the gag again until we've come up with another way for you to safe word with it in.  Okay?"  
   
"Yes, Sir.  Thank you," Aramis sighed.  He leaned up and kissed Athos lightly on the mouth then settled back down against his chest.  He lay there, quiet and content for long minutes until he remembered something he had wanted to ask.  "Sir?"  
   
"Yes?"  
   
"What else did you buy?"  
   
"I bought a couple of things but I hadn't planned on using them while we were here," Athos told him.  "Would you like to see them?"

"Can I?" Aramis asked, some of his earlier shyness returning.

"I'll get them," Athos said. He started to get up but Aramis stopped him, a hand clamping firmly on his arm.

"Let me," he said. When Athos opened his mouth to protest he added, "Isn't that what your boy is for?"

At that, Athos relented and allowed Aramis to go get the rest of the things he had purchased and bring them over to the bed. He watched him carefully, mindful of how shaky he had been before, and was relieved to see him much steadier. When Aramis joined him again, Athos took the bag from him and simply dumped it out on the bed between them. There wasn't all that much left in it and he was eager to see Aramis' reactions to the various items.

"Candles, Sir?" Aramis asked as he held up the two thick, red candles Athos had purchased.

"I take it you've never had hot wax dripped on you."

"Uh, no," Aramis said, a bit confused. "Dripped on me where?"

"Oh lots of places but I was thinking of your cock in particular," Athos said.

"You...you..." Aramis gasped unable to get the words out.

"Yes, boy?"

"You want to pour molten wax on my cock, Sir?" He finally squeaked.

"And listen to you scream while I do, yes."

"Will you think your boy weak if he tells you the thought of that scares him?" 

"I will think my boy honest," Athos said. "It does not hurt as much as you are thinking. The candles are designed to have a low melting point."

Aramis set the candles aside. He would need to think about that some, though if Sir asked it of him, he knew he would not refuse. He picked up the pair of black leather restraints next. They were soft yet sturdy, well-made. They would keep him prisoner without chafing his wrists too badly. There was a clip on them that allowed them to be joined together as well. It was easy enough to work, but if his hands were bound behind him, he doubted if he would be able to undo it. Even with them in front of him, restrained it would be difficult.

"Do you like them?" Athos asked after watching Aramis spend a long time examining them.

"Oh yes," he said, blushing slightly at his eagerness.

"Good. There are so very many things I would like to do with those. Well, more accurately put to you with those on."

Grinning, Aramis set the restraints aside and picked up the last item. It was the one Athos was both the most excited and most worried about. He remembered how Aramis had reacted at the mention of being beaten but Athos understood that oftentimes the reality of something was a far cry from the idea of it. He watched Aramis hold the item, turning it over in his hands as he studied it. He took the lack of fear or disgust on his lover's face as a good sign and decided to forge ahead.

"It's a cane," Athos explained. "I don't know if you've ever seen one before."

"No," Aramis said softly. His eyes were riveted to the two foot piece of rattan in his hands. It wasn't overly thick, actually quite bendy, but Aramis sensed, in the right hands, it could be devastating.

"We don't ever have to use..."

"Please," Aramis interrupted desperately. He bit his lip when he realized what he had said, what he had admitted, and looked down at the bed.

"Aramis?" Athos called softly.

"Do you think you are the only one with fantasies?" He asked as he reluctantly met his lover's eyes.

"And this is one of yours?" Athos asked swallowing hard at the thought of it.

"Yes," Aramis replied.

"Tell me," Athos said at once. "Tell me what your fantasies are, love. Let me give them to you."

Aramis eyed him for long seconds, taking in the earnest desire on Athos' face. His lover truly wanted to know this about him, wanted to give Aramis something back if he could. While it was wholly unnecessary, he understood the desire on Athos' part quite well.

"There are two really," he began. "One I would like to do as we are now, as Sir and boy. The other I would prefer to be outside of this, as Athos and Aramis. Even so, they are...related."

Athos gaped at him, astounded again that Aramis was finding pleasure of his own in this. He realized then that he shouldn't be, though. Hadn't Aramis said just a short while ago that he did not want to lose this, that boy needed this just as he himself did?

“Do you have any idea what it does to me to know that you enjoy this as well?” Athos asked as he reached out and took his hand. “To know that you aren’t simply enduring this for my sake, that you find pleasure in it, too… Tell me your fantasy. Please.”

“You already know it,” Aramis said, feeling a hot rush of desire and shame at the thought of what he wanted. “It is to be spanked. Harshly. At first, it was only over your lap, with your hand. But now, seeing this…”

“You want me to cane you?”

“It starts with us out somewhere, the place is irrelevant. However, I commit some small infraction and anger you,” Aramis began, painting the picture for Athos. “You bring us straight back here, refusing to even listen to my stammered apologies. When we are inside, you take me by the arm and throw me down across the bed. I know then that I am in trouble. 

“You order me to strip and I do so at once. My hands are shaking as I shed my clothes as quickly as I can, not even daring to glance in your direction. Once I am naked, you grab me again and haul me across your lap letting me know just what I am in for. Then you begin to spank me. You do not hold back and I gasp with the very first strike of your hand. You beat me until my ass is black and blue. You do not even stop when I begin to come across your lap.”

“You come? From me spanking you?” Athos asked, his voice hushed.

“Most of the time. Occasionally, I have not managed to before you stop. I am still hard, though, and you make me sit up on my knees and stroke myself while you squeeze my bruised and aching ass. At the end, you make me clean up the mess I have made with my tongue, licking up my own come from your lap and the bed.”

“And you really want to do that? You really want me to spank you like that?” Athos asked again.

“Yes,” Aramis admitted, flushing hotly. “I… I want… want the cane as well. I want to feel it striking my ass after you have thoroughly spanked it, striping me on top of the bruises you have already given me.”

“You want the pain,” Athos stated, coming to an understanding about what was driving this. It was not just the humiliation of being put over his knee and spanked, it was the pain as well. 

Aramis looked down then, feeling his earlier blush extending all the way down his chest now. He was suddenly scared to look his lover in the face, too afraid of what he might see there. He was no longer quite so far down and could think a bit more clearly. This was supposed to be a game. He was only supposed to be playing the part of a whore. He was not supposed to actually be one. 

“Aramis, look at me,” Athos said softly but firmly.

“I’m afraid to,” Aramis replied.

“Now what did I tell you about being afraid?”

“That I never have to be afraid of you,” Aramis repeated dutifully, though he still did not look up at Athos.

“That’s right, Sweetheart. You never have to be afraid of me. I’m not going to judge you and, more importantly, I don’t think there’s anything you’ve shared with me that requires judgment. Please don’t hide yourself from me.”

“You don’t think me a whore for wanting to be beaten until I come?” Aramis asked. He forced himself to raise his head and look at Athos as he did so, needing to see his reaction.

“No,” Athos told him succinctly. “I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t realize you liked pain.”

“I didn’t really either,” Aramis chuckled, some of his fear leaving him, but only some. “I always liked the idea but I never attempted to find out if I would like the reality as well.”

“But you want to?”

“Yes,” Aramis said. The naked want in his voice was unmistakable. Whatever the outcome, Aramis wanted to try.

“Alright,” Athos said. “But we need to wait until tomorrow, I think. You’ve had more than you can take for one day and I want you rested before we try.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis nodded, relieved and excited at the same time.

“Will you tell me about the other one? The one that’s outside of the scene?” Athos asked. Aramis had said the two were related and Athos was curious as to how that could be.

Aramis nodded and took a deep breath. “It is after the spanking, when my ass is bruised and welted from the cane. I tell you I want you to fuck me. You are, of course, somewhat reluctant considering the state of my backside but I manage to convince you. You warn me that you will not go easy on me and I agree. You tell me to get onto my hands and knees while you get ready.

“The next thing I know, you grab my cheeks and pull them apart. I barely have time to hiss in pain before you shove your oiled cock inside of me. I cry out and try to pull away but you grip me harder and drag me back making me scream in pain. 

“I tell you stop, that it hurts too much, but you ignore me. You simply fuck into me harder. When I try to push up, to move you off of me, you grab my hands and twist them up behind my back, shoving my face back down onto the mattress. You hold my wrists together behind my back with one hand while the other goes back to grabbing and kneading my bruised ass. You even… you even drag your nails down across the welts making me howl in agony.”

“Aramis…”

“You are ruthless when you fuck me,” Aramis continued as if Athos had not spoken. “You make me take you, take your fuck. I beg you to stop over and over again. At one point, you lean down close to my ear and whisper ‘No’ before raising back up and fucking me even harder. 

“By the time it is over, I am… I am yours. I am tamed… conquered… _beaten_. When you are close to coming, you let go of my wrists, knowing I will no longer fight you. You reach beneath me and grab my hard cock and start to stroke me in time with your thrusts, your other hand still kneading me painfully. When I come, I do not even cry out, too utterly mastered for even that much and a moment later you come as well, slamming inside of me and filling my ass.”

“You…” Athos began then trailed off, his thoughts in a whirl. “You really want that?”

“I want you to master me completely,” Aramis said calmly. He was anything but calm on the inside, however. He had no idea how Athos was going to take this. 

“And you want me to do it outside of the scene? You want Athos to master Aramis?” Athos asked, wanting to be very sure about what Aramis intended to happen. He had found himself growing hard as Aramis had outlined his fantasy and was a bit worried by his reaction. He did not want to do actual harm to his lover but he could not deny the thrill he felt at what Aramis was suggesting.

“Yes,” Aramis repeated.

“Why?” Athos asked in genuine confusion. He could understand it if it was in the scene, with boy being mastered by Sir. This, however, was something else entirely. 

“Because I trust you. Completely and without reservation,” Aramis said, trying to put his thoughts and feelings into words. “I am ashamed of how upset I grew earlier when I was unable to safe word. I should not have become so upset. I was with you. You would never allow any true harm to befall me.”

“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” Athos told him.

“Perhaps I wish to prove something to myself,” Aramis suggested.

“Aramis…”

“Or perhaps I simply wish to be mastered by you in all ways,” Aramis added. “Did I not tell you that I wanted you to fuck me on our balcony at home? Do you truly find it so odd that I would wish to give every part of myself to you, not just the boy?”

“You want this at home,” Athos said as he realized what it was Aramis was trying to tell him. “You don’t want it to be just a game.”

“Yes,” Aramis said. “But I will take what you are willing to give me and be grateful for it. If you don’t want this to ever go beyond Sir and boy, then so be it. You wished to know my fantasies. Now you do.”

“You need to be very sure about this, Aramis,” Athos cautioned. His cock was hard and aching but he ignored it for the time being. “You know how greedy I can be. If you give me this, I may not want to stop.”

“I’m sure,” Aramis said as calmly as he could. His own cock was starting to harden as they continued to talk about it. He had never expected either of his fantasies to ever be more than that and the thought of actually having them was sending bolts of desire all through him.

“Then this is what is going to happen,” Athos explained as he gathered up the items and placed them back in the bag. “We are going to get some much needed rest. In the morning, I will ask you one more time if you’re sure. If you are, then we’ll go from there. If you’ve changed your mind, then just say so. I can still give you the first one without following through on the second.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This final part gets a bit more intense. There is a scene that could possibly be construed as dub-con though Aramis is fully consenting and knows how to end the scene should he wish to. He is role-playing, but it is an intense scene and please be warned.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks to Snow_Glory for all the wonderful help and suggestions for this. 
> 
> The next story is in the works - be patient!

Part 4

Aramis would have thought his sleep would be fitful considering how worked up he was when they had settled into bed. Even the quiet dinner they had shared had done little to lessen his desire and he could tell the same was true for Athos. Still, it was a testament to how trying a day it had been that he had fallen asleep shortly after laying down.

When he awoke the next morning, it was Athos propped up on one arm looking down at him. “Good morning,” Aramis said softly as he blinked up at his lover.

“Good morning,” Athos smiled as he leaned down and kissed him. “So, breakfast first or talk first?”

“Talk first,” Aramis said. He wasn’t sure he could eat right now anyway, not with this looming over him. 

“Okay. Then I would like for you to go get a shower and think over what you want. Once you’re finished, come join me at the table and we’ll talk.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said, feeling a thrum of desire low in his belly. He knew they were not technically in the scene now, that he did not need to address Athos in this way, but it felt right to him to do so.

Athos leaned down again and kissed him hard, his hand coming up to tangle in his hair. Aramis’ willing submission had affected him more strongly than he would have imagined and it took everything he had to pull back and let the man go.

In the shower, Aramis did as Athos had instructed. He thought back over what it was he desired, asking himself one final time if this was actually what he wanted. He knew it would probably be wiser to keep things as they were now, to let his submission be nothing more than a game they played, but that wasn’t what he wanted and he didn’t think it was what Athos wanted either. That fact, that Athos wanted this as well, was enough to decide things for him and he quickly finished his shower, eager to have their talk.

While Aramis showered, Athos tried to steady himself. Even as he tried to mentally prepare himself for Aramis to have changed his mind, a part of him could not help but hope otherwise. In truth, this entire weekend had been much more than a game to him and he had not known how he was going to turn that part of him back off again once they left here. Now, there was a chance he would not have to. But it would be Aramis’ decision. If his lover wanted that then Athos would gladly give it to him, but if he had changed his mind, then Athos would accept it and be thankful for what he had.

When Aramis emerged from the shower, he considered putting on his underwear but didn’t. He knew Sir preferred him naked when they were alone. He wondered if that would remain the case if this spilled over into their everyday life. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, really. He enjoyed the freedom of it and he certainly enjoyed the abject humiliation of being kept on constant display. He wondered, though, if he might find it too much to bear in the long run. He supposed that was something he and Athos would need to discuss. He knew if it truly was too difficult for him that Athos would not enforce it. At least not all the time, anyway. He had no doubt that Sir would force him to endure it from time to time no matter how uncomfortable he found it.

Athos watched silently as Aramis came out of the bathroom and walked over to join him at the table. He took in the fact that Aramis was naked and felt a surge of both lust and possessiveness at the sight of him. That his boy would cater to his whims of his own accord made Athos want to take him and show him just how pleased his owner was. Athos saw him hesitate, as if preparing to go to his knees, and shook his head. He pushed out the chair next to him and smiled when Aramis sat down beside him.

“Have you thought things over?” Athos asked.

“Yes,” Aramis said. He reached across the table and took Athos’ hand in his own. “I want this. I know it would probably be wiser of us not to go down such a road but I want to all the same. And I think you do, too.”

“I don’t want you to do this because you think it’s something I want,” Athos told him.

“I’m not,” Aramis assured him. “But the fact that you do does makes the decision easier.”

“Alright,” Athos agreed, refusing to argue any further. He trusted Aramis to know himself enough to make this decision. Besides, this was a learning process for both of them. They would work it out between them as they went. Now, however, it was time to fulfill a few of his lover’s own fantasies. “Get dressed in the clothes we went out in yesterday. Don’t worry, you won’t have them on for long.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said. He rose from the table and turned back toward his lover. He opened his mouth to say something then closed it again. They were clearly in the scene now. What he wanted to say would need to wait. 

Athos watched Aramis’ apparent struggle, frowning slightly. He wasn’t sure what his lover had wanted to say to him. He thought about asking him but decided to let it wait for now. He would make sure to talk to him about it later, though.

Once they were dressed, Athos pulled Aramis into a deep kiss. He thrust his tongue into the other man’s mouth as he held his head in place, tasting him thoroughly. Only when he was satisfied did he pull back though he kept his hand fisted in Aramis’ thick hair. 

“Is my boy ready to go out?” Athos asked him. 

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis replied, wide-eyed from their kiss. 

“We shall start just down the hall from this room. I will ask you a question and you will err by using my name once again. Your use of my name will signal your readiness to begin the scene. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis said, licking his lips in sudden anticipation. 

Taking Aramis’ hand, Athos walked him out of their room and a short way down the hall toward the elevators. “I’m thinking of having the photographer come back out,” he said absently. “I think I would like him to take pictures of me fucking you.”

Aramis knew his opening as soon as Athos gave it to him. Even without it being planned, the man’s name nearly slipped from his lips. “Athos,” he whispered purposely, pausing only long enough so that his lover could be sure it had been deliberate and not an actual accident on his part. 

Athos turned toward Aramis and jerked him against him hard. “How is it that you cannot seem to remember one single, fucking command,” he snarled into Aramis’ ear. He tightened the grip he had on his hand until it was painful and spun on his heels, jerking Aramis along with him.

“Sir, I’m sorry,” Aramis tried to apologize as Athos all but drug him down the hallway back toward their room. “I didn’t mean to. You surprised me. Sir, please.”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Athos spat as he slammed him against the wall and pulled out his key card to open the door.

Aramis snapped his mouth shut at once, not wanting to make Athos any angrier than he already was. He was firmly back in the scene and desperate to appease his owner. He knew how much Athos hated it when he used his name without permission. He considered it willful defiance on Aramis’ part and that was something Athos would not stand for.

Once the door was open, Athos pulled Aramis through it and shoved him down onto the bed. He slammed the door behind them causing Aramis to cringe at the uncharacteristic display of anger. “You will learn obedience, boy, even if I have to beat it into you.”

“Sir, please…” Aramis tried again only for Athos to stride forward and backhand him sharply across the face. Aramis gasped at the sudden stinging pain and felt his eyes water. Part of it, he knew, was the embarrassment of being chastised in such a manner. 

“Take your clothes off. Now.” 

As Aramis hastened to obey, Athos went over to the bag of toys from the shop. He grabbed the cane and the leather restraints. He wasn’t sure if he would need the restraints but he wanted them nearby just in case. He also grabbed the small container of salve he had brought with. When he had packed it, he was not sure if it would be necessary but had wanted to be prepared. 

Athos himself stripped down to just his shirt and pants. He thought about stripping altogether but thought Aramis would appreciate the contrast more. When he turned back to the bed, he found Aramis kneeling in the center, naked, his head bowed. He walked over and dropped the cane and restraints down by the side of the bed then sat down.

“Get across my lap,” Athos instructed, his voice as icy as he could make it. 

“Yes, Sir,” Aramis replied meekly. He quickly moved into position, laying himself across Athos’ lap so that his groin and ass were centered directly over it. He hated that he had made Sir so angry with him. He could not bear the thought of disappointing him. He was not the only boy out there and knew there any number of young men who would jump at the chance to take his place.

“You will learn obedience even if I have to beat it into you,” Athos said, repeating his words from earlier. It was all the warning Aramis got before Athos drew his hand back and brought it down hard on his upturned ass.

The sound of Athos’ hand striking Aramis’ backside was loud in the confines of their hotel suite. Aramis gasped aloud at the sharp pain, knowing the man had not held back. He whimpered as Athos drew back his arm again, partly in dread and partly in shame that he had angered his owner so greatly. When the next blow fell, Aramis clamped his mouth shut, determined not to cry out and embarrass himself even further in Sir’s eyes. He would show him that he could take this, that he could be good. That he could _obey_. He would earn his forgiveness no matter what he had to do. 

Athos considered making Aramis count the blows but decided against it. He wanted him to be able to concentrate on the feeling of what he was doing. Another time, they could try that. This time was for Aramis’ enjoyment and Athos wanted him to get the most he could from it. He was a little nervous about the caning, not sure if Aramis understood just how intense, and how painful, it could be. He would have to gauge him very carefully during that part of it, perhaps even reminding him of his safe word before they began.

By the time the fourth blow landed, Aramis could no longer keep his noises contained. He gasped when Sir’s hand landed with bruising force upon his upturned ass and did his best to pant through the pain. It was rolling through him in waves, barely ebbing before the next blow sent it crashing all throughout him again. Before long, however, he was crying out with every blow and keening pitifully as Sir began to hit him faster and faster. He took some small measure of comfort from Sir’s hands upon him. Even if they did cause him pain, they still grounded him, letting him know that Sir, his owner, was there with him. As the spanking continued, Aramis began to feel somewhat disconnected. He could still feel the pain just as keenly as before but it was ceasing to matter.

After a particularly vicious hit, Aramis lunged forward, his body instinctively trying to move away from the unrelenting pain. As he did so, his cock brushed against Sir’s leg and for the first time, Aramis realized he was hard. He was so caught off guard by it that the next blow took him completely by surprise, jerking him back to the present and tearing a scream from him as well as causing him to lunge forward once more. This, however, drove his cock into Sir’s thigh hard making the other man suddenly freeze.

Without warning, Aramis felt a hand grip his hair and jerk his head back roughly. “This is supposed to be a punishment, whore,” Athos snarled. “Am I not being firm enough with you?”

“I’m sorry, Sir. I’m sorry,” Aramis babbled, his neck straining. He could feel the fury pouring off Athos… off Sir… and quailed. He was suddenly confused, unsure of what was happening to him as his body tried to interpret all of the varying inputs at once. “I don’t know why…”

“You don’t know why?” Athos mocked derisively. “Because you’re a whore. That’s why!”

Aramis moaned, blushing furiously at Sir’s angry words. To hear Sir berate him so, to hear him call him a whore, made him what to curl into a ball. He did not mean to disgust him so by behaving like a wanton slut, but his body seemed to have a will of its own. Even knowing Sir was angry with him wasn’t enough to soften his cock, though. He could feel it, hard and aching between his legs, the pulse of it a counterpoint to the throbbing pain in his ass.

“It’s obvious a whore like you requires a much stronger punishment. Very well. Get on the bed and grip the bars of the headboard.”

Athos watched as Aramis scrambled to do as he was instructed. He could see the pain his boy was in by the way he moved. Still, Aramis had asked for this and he would give it to him. He promised himself he would make it up to him, spending however long his boy needed taking care of him and coddling him. That was for later, though. Right now, he had a punishment to dole out. 

Once he was in position, Athos picked up the restraints he had set aside earlier. He moved up to the head of the bed and quickly secured Aramis’ hands in place, ensuring his boy would not be able to break position. “Do you remember your safe word?” he asked as he moved back down to the end of the bed.

“Yes, Sir. It’s Musketeer, Sir,” Aramis replied softly as he gathered himself for what was to come. His earlier feeling of detachment was gone now. His mind was firmly back in the here and now and he found himself suddenly apprehensive of what was to come.

“Very good,” Athos said. He took a moment to admire his boy. He was on his knees, his ass thrust back. His arms were outstretched, showing off the planes of his back enticingly. Another time, Athos would enjoy laying stripes across it as well but for now, he would concentrate on his boy’s beautiful, reddened ass.

Athos picked up the cane from the floor and gave it an experimental swing, noting the way it cut through the air as well as the sound it made. He also noted the way Aramis flinched and smiled. He hoped his boy was ready for this.

Drawing back his arm, Athos brought the cane down hard and fast, not holding back. It whistled through the air, giving Aramis the briefest of warnings, before connecting with his backside. The scream that tore from him was the loudest yet and Athos watched as he jerked helplessly at the restraints holding him prisoner. Athos himself was fascinated by the dark red welt that instantly appeared across Aramis’ tender ass, a testament to the force of the blow he had delivered. He could not help but wonder how many he could lay down before they began to overlap and if Aramis would be able to stand such a thing.

Aramis screamed long and loud, the sound wrenched from him as pain unlike anything he had ever felt before tore through his body. It felt like a line of fire had been branded across his ass and he yanked at the restraints holding him in place. He continued to struggle, trying desperately to pull his hands free, shaking his head in denial. 

“No. Please,” he begged even as he waited for the next blow to fall.

Drawing back his arm once more, Athos laid down the second stripe. Aramis’ reaction was no less gratifying. He screamed and thrashed, tugging ineffectually at the restraints yet again. Curious as to how they might feel, Athos set the cane down. He reached forward and ran his hand over them earning a hiss from his boy as he tried to jerk away. Grabbing him by the hip, Athos held him in place, making him whimper and moan as he ran his hand over the bruised and welted flesh.

A sob tore its way from Aramis’ throat when Athos… when Sir… squeezed his cheek. “Stop,” he sobbed and pleaded. “Please, stop.”

His entire backside was on fire, but none more than where Sir touched and fondled him. He had been overwhelmed from the very first strike of the cane and could do nothing but mewl pathetically. He felt utterly helpless, completely unable to do anything to stop the hellish torment. He was Sir’s to do with as he pleased and right now Sir’s pleasure was his pain. With that knowledge, that acceptance, came a surprising sense of peace. He no longer belonged to himself. He belonged solely to Sir. His sole purpose in life was to please Sir. If his pain and his tears were what was wanted, then he would give them and gladly.

Aramis sobbed again as Sir gripped him tightly, digging his hands into the bruised and abraded flesh. He could feel himself starting to disconnect, to float, despite the pain and noticed again that his cock was hard. He felt Sir draw back and had a moment to brace himself before the cane landed again, just as hard as before. He cried out hoarsely, his voice cracking, and felt tears run down his face. His cock was throbbing in time with his ass and he wondered blearily if he might come like this. He hoped not. Sir had not given him permission, after all, and he shuddered to think what punishment any further disobedience might earn him.

Athos knew Aramis was close to breaking. He was shaking and sobbing almost continually and his balls were drawn up tight. If he wasn’t concerned about doing actual damage he might consider caning him even there. Drawing back his arm, Athos let fly with the cane as hard as he could. He watched as Aramis’ body bowed with the overwhelming pain then the man screamed shrilly and began thrusting his hips in the air as his body came helplessly.

Aramis felt the cane slam into him harder than ever. He froze for a moment as all of his nerves overloaded at once. A moment later, he was bucking his hips as wave after wave of pleasure rolled through him, nearly drowning him in the intensity of it. He was so overwhelmed he did not even realize he was screaming as his voice gave out.

Athos watched as Aramis’ orgasm hit him with the force of a freight train. His boy had gone wild, bucking and heaving and screaming as he came all over the bed. Dropping the cane back onto the floor, he waited until Aramis had started to calm before moving up to the head of the bed to release him.

As soon as his hands were free, Aramis latched onto Sir, wrapping his arms around his middle and burying his face in his stomach. It took a moment for Athos to realize the tremors wracking his body were due to the sobs he was muffling against him. Once he did, he leaned over Aramis, holding him back as best he could as he whispered to him about how proud he was and what a good boy he had been.

Athos stayed like that, holding and soothing him, until Aramis’ sobs finally began to taper off. Only when he was sure his boy was going to be alright did he sit up, but he made no move to make Aramis do so or to relinquish his hold on him. In fact, Athos purposely kept one hand rubbing circles between Aramis’ shoulders, wanting him to feel him and know he was there.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Aramis rasped eventually, though his face was still buried.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Athos told him.

“I… I… I…”

“Shhh. Easy now,” Athos soothed, calming him once more.

“I came,” Aramis managed, his voice breaking as he admitted to failing him yet again. “I’m so sorry…”

“Hush, Sweetheart,” Athos said as gently as he could, knowing how fragile Aramis was right now… and how far down. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You were perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better boy.”

“Sir?”

“And you were so beautiful when you came,” Athos continued. “I’ve never seen you so wild before. You were magnificent.”

Aramis lay there, stunned. He let Sir’s praise wash over him, soothing him and pulling him down inside himself deeper than he had ever gone before. He felt such peace, such contentment, flow through him and he rose up so he could look at his owner… Sir… Athos.

“I love you, Sir,” he said softly, his eyes never leaving those of the other man. Even as far inside of himself as he was, he knew how very important this was.

“What… what did you say?,” Athos gasped, astounded.

“I love you, Sir,” Aramis repeated as confidently as he could manage at the moment.

“Oh,” Athos whispered. He could not believe the gift Aramis had just given him and pulled his lover forward into a deep kiss that had both of them moaning. “I love you, too. So damn much.”

Aramis settled back down next to him then, this time pillowing his head on Sir’s thigh. He felt Sir’s fingers card through his hair and sighed in pleasure. He could feel the aches and pains of his body, certain parts more so than others, but they did not matter. It was as if they belonged to someone else and Aramis did not bother to concern himself with them.

“How are you feeling?” Athos asked some time later.

Aramis raised his head from Athos' shoulder and looked at him. He smiled and whispered, "Musketeer," before letting himself drop down onto his chest, his head resting comfortably back on Athos' shoulder.

"So, how are you feeling?" Athos asked again as he lightly ran his hand up and down Aramis' arm.

"I'm not sure," Aramis admitted. "Good. Tired. Wrung-out. Sore."

"Confused? Upset?" Athos prompted, a bit worried about Aramis' inability to put his feelings into words even now. He would have expected it shortly after their scene, but it had been a few hours since then.

"Upset, no. Confused, a little perhaps. More so by my reactions than anything else. I had expected it to be intense but that was much more than I was prepared for."

"Was it too much?" 

"No," Aramis told him. "Not unless you found my reactions off-putting in some way. I know you certainly hadn't expected me to actually want to be hurt to such a degree, much less enjoy it so blatantly."

"Don't you remember me telling you that you were beautiful?"

"You cannot be held accountable for what you say to your distressed boy to try to calm him," Aramis smiled softly.

"I would never lie to you, Aramis," Athos said seriously. "Even then. Especially then. I may lead you on about how an encounter will go but I will never outright lie to you. I found you breath-taking in your pain. So much so that it scares me."

"Why?"

"Because I know I will want to see you like that more than once and I am not at all sure you will want me to hurt you like that again," Athos said bluntly. 

"If you think I will deny you..."

"I know you won't," Athos said quickly. "But there is a difference between allowing something and desiring it. For this to happen again, it has to be because you want it."

"Then you need not worry," Aramis assured him. "Your boy likes it when Sir breaks him down, when he reduces him to a sobbing, shaking mess that can only beg for mercy until even that is too much for him."

"Aramis..."

"Your boy loves it when his owner uses him as he wishes, taking what he wants from him regardless of his pleas," Aramis continued. "Do you have any idea what it did to me to beg you to stop and have you ignore me as if I had not even spoken? It was like being gagged. I could make noises all I wanted but I had no _voice_."

"And you liked that. You liked having no voice, having all of your choices ripped from you."

"I liked...being yours."

Athos fell silent after that, letting Aramis' words sink in. From what he was saying, it seemed like Aramis wanted to take things even further. He thought about that, about what it might mean for the two of them. He had to admit, he found the idea more than a little enticing. To have Aramis belong to him completely was a long-held fantasy. He had often dreamed of taking him and using him as he would, of mastering him on every level, of debasing him utterly. To think that Aramis might want that as well sent a heady wave of desire through him.

"Your other fantasy, do you still want to go through with it?" Athos asked after a time.

"Yes," Aramis said, a sudden spike of want hitting him at the thought of what all that other fantasy entailed.

"Now? You are still rather tender and you know I will not go easy on you," Athos pointed out.

"That...that was rather the point," Aramis replied breathlessly.

"And you wish to do this outside of the scene, if you will?" Athos asked, wanting to be absolutely sure before starting. "You want to do this as...as...us?"

"Yes," Aramis replied, his voice barely a whisper. He could feel his body responding to the thought already and fought to rein himself in. He needed to be thinking clearly for this, not letting his dick overrule his head.

"Very well," Athos said. He rolled Aramis over onto his back, smiling when he flinched. He kissed him hard, shoving his tongue into his mouth deeply and savoring the taste of him. "Mmm. You taste good."

"So do you," Aramis smiled back.

"I want you," Athos told him baldly, pleased when Aramis' eyes darkened at his words. 

"You can have me."

"Then roll over and show me what's mine." Athos moved off of him then, sitting back and removing his shirt as Aramis rolled over onto his stomach. Athos considered taking his pants off but decided to leave them on, thinking the feel of them against Aramis' abused ass would be particularly painful. 

Once Aramis was on his stomach, Athos grabbed the lube and set it next to him, then got on his knees between his lover's spread thighs. Looking down, he admired his earlier handiwork, taking in the bruised and mottled cheeks as well as the four dark red welts running across them. He made Aramis wait a moment longer then reached out with both hands and gripped his ass, squeezing tight. 

"Ah!" Aramis cried out, pain cutting through him like a knife. He arched his back, trying to move away from Athos' punishing grip but Athos merely moved with him. Aramis tried to push up onto his knees, but Athos shoved him back down with a snarl, digging his fingers in and making the welts on Aramis' ass scream in pain.

"I'm going to fuck you, Aramis," Athos said, making sure to use his name when he spoke. "I'm going to fuck you and there isn't anything you can do about it."

"Athos..." Aramis panted, the pain already more than he had expected. He squirmed under the man's hands, suddenly unsure if he could take this after all.

Athos let go of him then, giving him a few seconds reprieve, then he gripped him again even harder than before, digging his hands into the flesh of his ass and squeezing it brutally. The scream he pulled from Aramis made his cock throb in his pants and he had to bite his lip to keep from moaning aloud.

"No, stop," Aramis said, unable to keep from squirming and trying to move away.

Athos, however, ignored him and continued to knead the bruised and welted flesh under his hands, growing harder with every gasp of pain he pulled from him. He could feel Aramis starting to shake as he fought against the pain, trying to take it. He knew that it was only a matter of time, though. Aramis, for all that he had said he wanted this, was still a novice at such things. Athos had a feeling this was going to be a level of pain he was not at all prepared for. 

Aramis felt tears sting his eyes as Athos continued to torment him, digging his fingers into the bruises that decorated his unprotected ass without mercy. He gasped when he gave a particularly vicious twist and squirmed, trying to find some way to lessen the pain. His earlier words had fallen on deaf ears, as he had known they would, but he could not stop himself from saying them. 

Now, Aramis found himself trying desperately not to start begging again. He knew Athos would refuse him and he did not want to give the man the satisfaction of hearing him beg only to deny him. Suddenly, the pain ratcheted up to an almost excruciating level and Aramis found himself jerking up onto his knees in a bid to escape. 

"Get back here," Athos growled as he moved forward with Aramis, refusing to let him get away. 

"No!" Aramis cried out, unable to take any more. "Stop. Athos, stop! I can't... Please!" He surged forward again, trying to get away. He had a moment of relief when Athos let go of his ass then a hand was slamming down between his shoulders, driving him down onto the bed. Before he could recover, his arms were being jerked behind his back and Athos was doing something to the restraints he still wore around his wrists.

Sitting back, Athos looked down at Aramis and smiled. Satisfied, he reached out and grabbed his ass again, digging his hands in and squeezing hard. The cry he wrung from Aramis was like music and he didn't bother holding back his own moan at the sound of it.

When Aramis felt Athos grab him again, he jerked forward hard. The first thing he registered was the overwhelming pain that flared out from his backside. The second was the fact that his hands were bound behind him, leaving him virtually helpless.

"No," he moaned, shaking his head as much as he could. "No. Athos, stop. Please, stop. I can't... It's too much. Stop. Please, stop!"

Athos leaned down over Aramis' back so that his mouth was right next to the man's ear. "No," he whispered before biting down hard on the shell of his ear making him cry out anew. "I told you I was going to fuck you and I meant it. You belong to me and I intend to use you."

"Please... Athos, please," Aramis begged as he started to panic. This was so much more than he had expected. He couldn't take this. He couldn't. He began to thrash then, struggling against the restraints that bound his hands behind his back and trying once more to push up onto his knees to get away.

Athos sat back and simply watched him for a moment as he undid his pants and pulled his hard cock out. He grabbed the lube and slicked himself then tossed it aside. He didn't plan on using any more than that. Aramis had wanted a rough ride and Athos intended to give him one. 

Moving back up, Athos slammed a hand back between his shoulders, pinning him in place. With his other hand, he grabbed one of his bruised cheeks, spreading it wide. He nestled his cock up against his hole and held it there. Releasing his shoulders, he grabbed his cock at the base and shoved forward hard, burying himself half way in one hard thrust.

Aramis had a moment to realize what was about to happen then Athos was ramming his cock inside of him, wrenching a scream from him. His back bowed as his entire body seized at the painful intrusion. He gasped, trying to draw a breath then Athos was slamming forward again, burying the rest of his hard cock inside of him and forcing the little bit of air from Aramis' lungs.

Athos couldn't hold back a moan at the feel of Aramis' tight, hot body encompassing him. He had never felt so tight around him. Athos could feel him shaking hard but he ignored it. Instead, he pulled back until his cock was nearly out then thrust back in, making Aramis cry out weakly.

Aramis felt Athos pull back until little more than the head of his cock remained inside of him then ram back in again. The pain of Athos’ cock forcing its way inside of him, making his body yield to him, was even worse than the feel of his pelvis rubbing against his abraded backside. Everything hurt, inside and out, and Aramis could barely even cry out with the depth of it. 

Athos began to fuck him in earnest then, thrusting into him hard and fast, taking his pleasure without regard to Aramis' desires or even his comfort. It was the cane all over again. It was being taken and used, being broken down. He was no longer a man. He was a thing to be used. He was an object that could be picked up and discarded at will, that could be played with, that could be broken and destroyed without repercussions. 

It was this last thought that affected Aramis the most, the realization that Athos could do whatever he wanted with him and there was nothing he could do about it. Athos could tie him to this bed and use him again and again, in the harshest ways possible, and there was nothing Aramis could do but take it. It was the ultimate degradation. 

"Your ass feels so good like this," Athos said as he fucked him. "I should keep you like this all the time. Keep your ass covered in welts so I can bend you over and fuck you while you scream and beg me to stop. Should I cane your balls next time, too? Do you think you could take it, Aramis?"

"Please..." Aramis begged again as Athos continued to brutalize him. 

"Please what?" Athos taunted. "Please stop? Please let you go? I'm never letting you go. You're my fuck-toy now."

"Please let me come," Aramis moaned, the words ripped from him without his permission or intent. He had not meant to say them. He had not even realized he wanted to come, that he even could orgasm like this. Now that he had said it, though, he could feel his cock, hard and heavy against his belly and he spread his legs a bit wider, giving himself over to Athos completely even as the shame threatened to cripple him.

Athos nearly faltered at Aramis' words. He had expected to hear any number of pleas but that had not been one of them. He was not unhappy, though. Far from it. Knowing he couldn't last much longer himself, he grabbed Aramis by the hips and jerked him up onto his knees. It allowed him to get even deeper inside of him and he began to thrust into him with abandon. 

"If you want to come, do it on my cock," Athos told him. He angled his cock upward then and was rewarded with a shout from Aramis, letting him know he had found the right spot. Holding his hips tight, he began to piston his hips upward, hitting that spot inside of the other man over and over again, determined to make him come moaning and shaking on his cock.

Aramis felt Athos start to ram his cock into his prostate over and over again and felt his heart stutter in his chest. He was gasping for breath, his face and shoulders pressed into the mattress as Athos held his hips and rode him. He started to feel disconnected again, like his body was not his own so he was not really shocked when his orgasm took him by surprise. One moment he was being fucked and the next he was sobbing and bucking as he came all over the bed for the second time.

Athos heard Aramis shout then he felt his lover's body start to clench around him and knew that he had found his release. The knowledge that Aramis had come from nothing but Athos fucking him, from nothing but Athos _brutalizing_ him, made Athos' balls draw up tight. He thrust forward twice more and then he slammed forward and ground himself against Aramis' bruised and welted backside as he began to fill him with his come.

It seemed to take forever before Athos finally stopped coming. By the time he did, he was leaning over Aramis' trembling body, panting and feeling like his balls had turned themselves inside out. He waited a few moments longer then slowly pulled out, mindful of the way Aramis winced and moaned when he did so. He quickly undid the restraints on his wrists and helped the still shaking man to lay down on his side, missing the majority of the mess they had made.

As soon as he was free, Aramis reached for Athos. He latched onto his pants and tugged at them weakly. He was shaking all over. Tears ran freely down his face as he struggled to hold in his sobs. When he felt Athos' arms come around him and pull him close so that his head was once again in the man's lap, he lost what grip he had on his emotions. He began to sob helplessly then, clinging to Athos as tightly as he could as his emotions poured out of him in a veritable flood.

He could feel Athos' hand rubbing up and down his back trying to comfort him. He knew his lover was saying something to him as well but he couldn't make out the words. He could tell, though, that the more Athos spoke the more worried he became. He tried to calm himself then, but it only made things worse, so Aramis simply buried his face in Athos' lap and held him. Finally, Aramis felt his sobs starting to ease. He didn't lessen his grip on Athos, though, too afraid the man would move away from him now that he was no longer in such apparent distress.

Athos could feel Aramis beginning to calm and his own rising panic eased. It would not leave entirely until he could talk to Aramis and make sure he was okay. He had expected the encounter to be intense but he had not been prepared for the severity of Aramis' reaction. His lover was nearly hysterical, crying so hard he was on the brink of hyperventilating, and Athos didn't know what to do. One thing he did know was that Aramis seemed scared he would try to leave. That, at least, he could easily counter and made sure to keep touching him and talking to him though he doubted Aramis could hear him right now.

At last, Aramis' horrible sobbing had stopped and he lay curled around where Athos sat, trembling. He could feel Athos' hand stroking him and could make out the soft lilt of his voice but he still couldn't understand the words being said. He wasn't overly bothered by his lack of understanding. If Athos wanted something more from his toy he would make his wishes known. He did not require Aramis to be able to think. Objects were not meant to think. Objects were meant only to be used.

Not for the first time, Athos dearly wished he could read Aramis' mind. His lover had stopped sobbing and was only lying curled around him, shaking like a leaf. It was clear that something was going on in his head again but Athos couldn't tell if it was good or bad. He didn't want to ask Aramis mostly because he doubted if he could really articulate it at this point and was afraid it might upset him to try. The last thing he wanted was to get him started crying again now that he was calming down.

"Sweetheart, can you talk to me?" Athos asked a few minutes later.

"Yes," Aramis replied hoarsely.

"Are you okay?" Athos asked then immediately wanted to slap himself. "God. Don't answer that. Of course you're not okay."

"What's wrong?" Aramis asked frowning sluggishly. He could tell from Athos' tone of voice that he was upset and sought instinctively to ease him.

"You just spent over half an hour crying your eyes out, 'Mis," Athos said. "I... I'm worried about you. I didn't mean to really hurt you."

"You didn't," Aramis said, though his voice lacked its usual strength. "Or, you did not harm me at any rate."

"Aramis?" Athos whispered, his insides going cold.

"I could have stopped it," Aramis told him with as much confidence as he could muster. "All I had to do was say Musketeer and you would have stopped at once. You didn't...didn't actually rape me, Athos. I never got so lost that I didn't know what to do to make it end if I needed it to."

"Oh fuck," Athos gasped in relief as he leaned down over Aramis and held him. He had been terrified when it was over that he had gone too far, pushed too hard and truly violated his lover. That, he knew, was something he would never have been able to live with no matter how much Aramis told him he forgave him for it afterwards.

"Athos, hey. Come on. It's okay," Aramis said as he held him back. After a while, he pushed Athos back and moved so that he was next to him rather than curled around him. He pulled Athos down beside him then until he could hold him properly, hissing softly when his tender backside came into contact with the bed.

Once they were stretched out beside each other, Athos wasted no time. He pulled Aramis against him, mindful of the pain he knew he had to still be in. He wished now that he had taken his pants off earlier so that he could feel his lover's skin against him. He had not realized just how scared he actually was until Aramis had said the words aloud and the relief was dizzying.

"Athos, I need you to listen to me," Aramis said seriously. He waited until his lover nodded before continuing. "I would never have done that to you. Do you think I don't know how much it would hurt you to do something like that to me? I do and I would never, will never, hurt you like that."

"Fuck," Athos nearly sobbed, his arms tightening around Aramis without conscious thought. He buried his face in his lover's neck, just breathing him in, then leaned back. "I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be taking care of you right now not falling apart like this."

"If showing the depth of your love for me is not taking care of me then I do not know what is," Aramis said. "We are both new at this and I think we fail to trust ourselves much more so than we do each other."

They stayed as they were, comforting each other with their presence. When Aramis began to fidget from laying on his side, Athos rolled onto his back and tugged him forward onto his chest so he could be comfortable without having to put pressure on his frisky abused bottom.

"Was it what you had hoped for?" Athos asked carefully, almost afraid for the answer.

"Yes and no," Aramis replied after giving it some thought. "It was so much more than I had ever imagined. I knew it would be brutal, but the sheer magnitude of the pain was unbelievable. At times, I could barely breath for the agony I was in. And you never stopped. No matter how much I begged, you ignored me and took what you wanted."

"And you liked that?"

"Yes," Aramis admitted, blushing furiously as he thought about how to explain himself.. "I... I was no longer a man. I was a thing...a toy for you to use as you wished. You could break me utterly and it would not matter because I belonged to you.

"At the end, I realized I was helpless, completely subject to your whims. I realized you could do anything to me and there was nothing I could do. I had truly become your fuck-toy in that moment. And that was when I begged you to let me come."

"What is it you're telling me, Aramis?" Athos asked. He was practically holding his breath. He had to be sure he was understanding this correctly and he had to hear it from Aramis himself.

"That I do not want this to end when we leave here," Aramis replied as baldly as he could. "That you have mastered me on every conceivable level and that I wish for you to continue to do so. I am saying that I _want_ to be your fuck-toy. I want you to break me down until I am no longer a man but simply an object to be used by you.

"But more than anything, I want to make you happy. And if this is not what _you_ want then I will not want it either." Aramis fell silent then, giving Athos a chance to absorb his words. He did want this, and badly, but only if Athos did, too.

"We'll need to talk about this, work out rules and such," Athos said after long minutes had passed. He knew it was risky, that they were bound to make mistakes. They had already made several, but he would be lying to say he did not want it.

"I will do anything you wish me to."

"Are you sure about this, Aramis?" He had to ask again. "Are you sure you're ready to be my fuck-toy? To have me simply bend you over whenever I want and shove myself inside you?"

"Athos, please," Aramis whined. "There's no way I can get hard again this soon no matter how much my cock wants to."

Athos stared at him and felt his own cock twitch as heat pooled low in his belly. It was too soon for him as well but he could not deny the eroticism of the picture he had conjured. "Should I make you lube yourself each morning so you're ready for me?" He all but purred. "Or should I leave you guessing as to whether or not I'll take you dry?"

"You would...would do that?" Aramis gasped as want slammed into him.

"I thought you wanted to be my toy," Athos taunted. "I thought you wanted me to use you. Is that too much? Are you afraid I might break you?"

"No," Aramis whispered blushing once more. "I am yours. You may use me as brutally as you wish. I... I want you to."

"You want me to?" Athos repeated. "You want me to bend you over and fuck you without bothering to prepare you? Without doing anything other than shoving your ass in the air?"

"Yes," came the weak reply.

"My goodness wha a wanton slut you've turned into," Athos chuckled darkly. "You know if I do that I'm liable to make you bleed."

"Yes, Sir," Aramis said, not even realizing he had addressed Athos so.

"Aramis...you make me want to hurt you so much."

"Not sure I can take any more right now," Aramis chuckled apologetically.

Athos met his eyes and his smile turned predatory. "Good thing it's not up to you to decide then."

Aramis' eyes grew wide and he started to pant at the implication. He knew anything Athos attempted now would be nothing short of searing agony, so much so he doubted if he would get any pleasure from it at all. He felt a spike of fear run through him at the thought and slowly lowered his eyes. "I am yours, Sir," he whispered, trembling slightly at the thought of what be coming.

"Look at me, Aramis," Athos said, gentling his voice. He waited for Aramis to comply before speaking again. "No fear. Remember?"

"Yes, Sir," Aramis said, swallowing hard.

"I'm not going to take you again, though I am going to put the plug back inside you," Athos told him. "You will probably find the drive home excruciating. If you are very good and make it all the way home without a sound, I will reward you in any way you wish."

"Really?" Aramis asked, his eyes lighting up at the thought.

"Really," Athos replied, amused. "I take it you already have a reward in mind?"

"Yes, Sir. I... I want you to cane the soles of my feet one morning so I have no choice but to spend the entire day crawling after you on my hands and knees."

Athos felt like someone had reached inside him and gripped his heart. The thought of Aramis crawling after him on his hands and knees was bad enough, but for the man to request such a thing himself, to request to be rendered unable to do anything but crawl, made Athos want throw him down on his belly and fuck him all over again.

It was another hour before they felt up to getting out of the bed. Athos kept an eye on Aramis, aware that he might not be altogether steady after everything he had been through. Once they were up, Athos went and got the plug then bent Aramis over the table. He smirked at the flush that stained his lover's cheeks at being put over the table instead of the bed but didn't comment on it. Instead, he took up the plug and slicked it then shoved it inside of him with one steady push.

"Ahh!" Aramis cried out when Athos shoved the plug into him without preamble. The thing felt huge inside him this time, much larger than before and it made his stomach clench painfully. He could feel his ass clenching around the plug, a fresh wave of pain shooting up his spine every time his muscles clamped down on it. 

"Easy, boy," Athos said as he ran his hand up and down Aramis' back. He could see how he was struggling to take it and could well imagine how much pain he had to be in after the rough taking he had subjected him to just a short time ago.

"Sir... Hurts," Aramis gasped as he gripped the edge of the table and held on.

"I know," Athos said as he held the plug in place. "But you can take it." Athos stayed like that, holding the plug and running his hand up and down Aramis' spine until he felt him start to relax. He thought about fucking him with it a bit but knew he was hurting already and that would only increase as he moved about with the thing inside of him. Besides, he actually wanted him to be able to hold out for the ride home, wanting him to earn his 'reward'.

It was nearly noon by the time they were dressed and ready to leave. Athos had insisted on picking out Aramis' clothes and had dressed him in the tightest pair of jeans he had. Aramis blushed bright red when he realized that his half-hard cock was more than visible in the tight material. By the time he had walked half way across the room, the feel of the rough denim rubbing over his abused ass had him nearly whimpering and his cock fully hard, something the skin tight denim did nothing to hide.

As Athos watched his boy gathering the last of their things, he smiled widely. His boy was an absolute dream as he moved about the room, the outline of his hard-on on display for everyone to see. This weekend had turned out better than he could have ever dreamed and it was only going to get better. 

End.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Kept boy FanArt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7904428) by [The_Ghoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ghoul/pseuds/The_Ghoul)




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